


Leaving Home Ain’t Easy

by Its_a_metaphor_bish



Category: Queen (Band)
Genre: F/M, Look at notes for warnings, M/M, Plane Crash, Swearing, its more just for comfort and affection because they’re scared, the boys aren’t really in a relationship?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:13:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26028532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Its_a_metaphor_bish/pseuds/Its_a_metaphor_bish
Summary: A bird strike causes an engine failure Queen's private jet on their way to Australia, forcing them into the ocean. The four wake on a small clutter of islands located off the South African coast. After figuring out their problem, they scramble to build shelter and find food.But, had anyone payed attention, they would have noticed that they weren't the island's only occupants...(Based off the game: Ocean is Home)
Relationships: Anita Dobson/Brian May, Freddie Mercury/Jim Hutton, Freddie Mercury/John Deacon/Brian May/Roger Taylor, John Deacon/Veronica Tetzlaff, Roger Taylor/Sarina Potgieter
Comments: 28
Kudos: 28





	1. One - Save Me

**Author's Note:**

> A/N:this is a little fucked up, it's 1985 but it's 70s Queen? Hope that makes sense. Also, I;m just gonna pretend there is actually a cluster is islands near South Africa (the ones I know of are Madagascaian).. Also, please look at notes for any possible trigger warnings!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:this is a little fucked up, it's 1985 but it's 70s Queen? Hope that makes sense. Also, I;m just gonna pretend there is actually a cluster is islands near South Africa (the ones I know of are Madagascaian).. Also, please look at notes for any possible trigger warnings!

April 30th, 1985  
17:23pm

Silence. That's all Brian wanted. The curly haired man had his head on plane's cool window, trying to catch a few hours of sleep before they landed in Australia. However, the Monopoly game happening next to him was preventing that. 

It was the front man that had suggested it. He had found the game hidden away in a overhead cupboard at the back of the plane and convinced the other two to join. The quiet bassists has instantly taken up the offer, there not being much else more to do on the plane. The blonde drummer, however, needed more convincing.  
"What's the point?!" he had started. "I always loose!"  
The frontman sighed, "c'mon, Rog. You've been bitching and whining about boredom, but won't play the game?"  
The blonde slumped back into the seats with a large pout. The ever-classic puppy dog eyes and his arms crossed, bottom lip out for extra emphasis that he did not plan on playing the game.

Brian, who had observed the whole thing, chuckled and nudged the drummers foot with his own; catching his attention.  
"Might as well just join, Rog. Stop his whining, won't it?"  
"Will you join, Bri?" The blonde murmured with childish innocence a few moments later.  
The guituarist softly shook his head. "I'm gonna try to get some sleep." He reached forward and patted the other's knee. "You'll be fine."  
Finally, Roger gave in with a sigh and joined the other two at the plane's table, claiming the 'car' character as he did so. 

45 minutes later and the board had been flipped twice (by both Roger and Freddie). Nonetheless, the three bandmates were sat "calmly" at the table, Roger sat with an impressive amount of properties. John had the most money, however, his four properties sat proudly with hotels on. Freddie has two properties and the least amount of money, and frequently complained about it to the others. 

Brian had long since gave up with sleep, switching his gaze between his friends and the sky outside. They were passing over South Africa, Brian could see the familiar Table Top Mountian looming over the city of Cape Town. He let out a breath and turned at a loud whine from Roger, watching as he traded two stations with John's Old Kent Road to avoid paying the very expensive rent that the hotel on Mayfair brought. Brian chuckled and turned back towards the window, half zoned out as the silver plane flew over the mainland and began to fly over the calm Indian Ocean. 

At some point, Brian must of fallen asleep. That, however, was stopped when a loud bang startled him awake. The sky was now graditating into a light orange, but what really caught his attention, was the smoke pluming from the left wing. Brian felt himself panic and try to wake himself out of a non-existent nightmare. The pilots frantic voice explaining the bird strike assured him that it was very much real, and they were in a lot of danger. He sat up against the leather seat of the jet, eyes wide and heart racing a million miles a second. 

A glance outside showed the ocean slowly rushing up on them, the plane was going to crash. It was inevitable. Brian prayed to whoever was listening that they wouldn't die, or that it would be quick and painless. Brian had noticed a small cluster of islands when he had startled, and hoped that if they did crash, they'd end up on one. Hopefully the same one. 

As the ocean got closer and closer, Brian - in his panic - grabbed the closed person to him. He pulled the small, shaking, drummer (identifiable by the bright blonde hair) into his chest and held him tight. The tall man shielded Roger with his body, his peripheral catching a glimpse of Freddie frantically doing the same to John, protecting him as much as possible. 

The last thing Brian remembered was a loud whir and a harsh impact... 

. 

. 

. 

18:53pm 

The first thing Brian was greeted with after waking was a harsh pounding at the base of his skull. He slowly lifted his head and looked around his surroundings. Water was gently lapping at his legs and the wind was wrapping around his long, wet body. With a wince, he lifted himself off of the sand and into a sitting position, using his bloody hand to push back his soaked curls. With shaky breaths, he turned around to look at the opening of the bay. 

The once-pristine private jet was now a flaming wreak, nose-down in the ocean. Brian felt himself panic about his three bandmates as well as the crew onboard and looked around once his vision became more clearer. He saw a small ball not too far away and slowly stood up, any fast movements making the unfamiliar world spin. The guitarist forced himself to stand and slowly stumbled over to the lump. 

With heavy breaths, Brian let himself collapse beside the figure, praying that whoever it was was alive. The tall man set his hand on the figures wet shoulder and gently pulled the long haired figure onto his back. 

Brian was met with shocked green eyes and heavy breaths, much to his relief.  
"Deacy.." Brian breathed softly, praying that it wasn't some cruel mirage or, even better, that he would soon wake from the nightmare. He lunged forward and brought the bassist into a hug, glad he was okay, but being cautious incase John was injured. John sat in shock for a moment before throwing his arms around Brian, mind scattered and his world spinning.

They sat like that for a while, arms around each other, with no sound but the waves and the soft call of birds hidden in the trees. Just reassuring one another that they were okay. But the two missing members were at the back of their heads. 

Brian was the first to pull away; body shaking, his breath heavy and his eyes wide.  
"A-are you okay?" He sat back on his legs, the curly mess on the top of his head slowly beginning to dry out.  
"y-yeah.." John answered. "Just ache a little. You?"  
Brian nodded in agreement, "same here.."  
John rubbed his face and look around at the island, still trying to compose his thoughts. 

The thing that caught his attention was the large waterfall in the centre of it all. It was surrounded by rocks and palm trees, both at the top and bottom, with a medium sized, yet deep pit of water. There was a reasonably steep hill surrounding it, meaning that they could probably venture up there once they had more strength. To his right, John could see what looked like a garage, the front completely open with nothing but a singular door and a few windows. Beside it there was a old truck, it was brown and looked quite worn down from where John was sitting. He hoped that the car was simply dusty and not damaged. John let out a deep sigh and continued to scan the island, Brian had long since zoned out. Green orbs settled on a simple, wooden hut at the waters edge with a white boat outside. Again, he hoped that it worked. John began to scan the island again, noticing that it was dotted with multiple trees and rocks, apart from a large patch of clear land in front of the waterfall, animals were gracefully roaming around, not seeming to care about the imposers. In the distance, there seemed to be, it certainly looked like, an areoplane hanger. It intrigued John, maybe there were people here. Or at least they might be able to find shelter in it. But right now, John's concerns were with the missing members of the band. 

Inhabitant wise, John had a feeling that they were the only ones there. It was a rather small island and there weren't many resources. Sure, there was wood and stone, along with banana trees and animals, but it wouldn't be great in the long run. Especially in the Winter months, it would be almost impossible to survive. Alongside that, the only structures John could see were the garage, boat shack and the hanger; unless there was someone on the other side of the island, there was absolutely no one there apart from wildlife and themselves. 

The bassist finally spoke up after a few more moments of silence. His breathing had slowed and his shaking had calmed, but his heart and mind were still racing. John turned to the tall guitarist and carefully eased him back to reality, trying his best not to startle him more.  
"Should we...look for the others?" John spoke up, a comforting hand on Brian's arm.  
With a soft nod from the other and helping each other up, they set off to find the other half of the band, praying that they too were okay and had found one another. 

.

.

20:53pm

In the last two hours, John and Brian had only found Freddie. The frontman had somehow ventured to the opposite side of the island after regaining consciousness, and was stumbling between rocks of different kinds in the hopes of finding the other three. They sat down together and talked through what had happened; the bird strike, the engine failing, their crash and the tide and current taking them to the island. Freddie had also found a suitcase, that being the one of their missing drummer, alongside John finding Brian's. Luckily, the guitarist always prepared for the worst, so they had a med kit and a little food and water. Freddie didn't, however, find a trace of Roger, or any of the crew aboard the plane. They had come to the conclusion that the crew had probably died in the crash, them being at the front of the plane. They hoped that the same fate hadn't consumed the drummer. 

The fact that they were all alive gave them hope, but it crossed everyone's mind that Roger was - infact - only a small twink-like figure. Not to mention that he had been ill only days before, so his system may still be recovering. Despite that, they had their hopes high. Roger had to be alive, he just had to. They came to the conclusion that it was likely that Roger had simply been swept away to a different part of the island. At least, they hoped so. But for now, they needed some base of a plan if they were to survive the night, Roger or no Roger. 

"So," John started, taking a sip of the warm water from Brian's 'survival rations' kit, "where do we start? What do we do?"  
Freddie, who was still in shock from the whole ordeal, was next to speak up. "W-well, we find Roger first I suppose... After that.. I'm not too sure, darlings."  
Brian secured John's bandage and sighed, "maybe we should split up for it... We need shelter. We don't know how long we're gonna be here.. might as well prepare for the long stay. I-I mean we have food and water to last us a few days. We should probably work on some sort of 'help us' sign as well..."  
"Yeah.." the bassist sighed, already just wanting to find Roger and return home to Veronica..although that didn't seem to be in the foreseeable future.  
"Who does what?" Freddie spoke softly, fiddling with the torn hem of his shirt.  
"I'll go looking for Roger." Brian murmured, "John, you have some skill in woodwork and that. Freddie, you know interior decorating. And I have longer legs than the both of you, won't take me as long."  
Both had nodded in agreement, all of them turning to look beyond the island.

Time was against them now. The sun was slowly sinking under the horizon and they had no sources of light with them. The nights would be bitter, in distinction to the warm summer days, and they would need all the heat they could muster. Even though sleep would be futile if their drummer was missing, they would all be much too worried. As annoying as he could be, they were still scared and concerned, they cared deeply for him. The lack of sight of the drummer had all three fearing the worse, but none dared let that thought overpower them. Until it was confirmed, they had hope. It was all they had. 

The three of them eventually stood and split into two groups a few moments later, set on completing their assigned tasks, and separated with a simple 'bye'. Brian turned, rucksack on his shoulder and set off on finding Roger in the unexplored part of the island, whilst John and Freddie ventured to that one empty spot by the waterfall, mapping out the best way to make a safe but quick shelter.


	2. Two - The Night Comes Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: sorry if some of this doesn't make sense, i wrote this in the middle of the night lmao. Ill try and make as much sense of it as I can, but im apologising in advance
> 
> IMPORTANT:  
> There is a possible trigger warming of wound description later on. Idk if it needs a warning, just better be safe than sorry. It's only one paragraph so I'll put warnings before and after.

April 30th, 1985.  
21:10pm - Day One on the Island. 

"So," John started. They were stood at the bottom of the waterfall, watching it fall into the pit. "we're lucky enough to have logs and trees. But, the question is, how do we use them?"  
Freddie sighed and thought. "I mean, we can probably make them into planks somehow, and then make walls and stuff?"  
John put his hands into his slightly ripped pockets, eyes skimming the ground. 

Along the island floor, there was an assortment of sticks and stone - they had even picked up water bottles and bananas. They picked up everything and set it in a pile around the area where they thought they wanted shelter. 

John was praying that they wouldn't spend more than a week on the island. Not only did they have an album to complete, but the second-half of a tour too. Not to mention their families. Freddie had Jim, his parents and his precious cats. The bassist could tell that Freddie was missing everyone badly, he barely stopped touching the simple ring that Jim had given him. Despite it being illegal currently, Jim had promised that the second it was legal, he and Freddie would marry. For now, they made do with what they were allowed. Brian had Anita and a kid at home. Along with his parents too. Brian wasn't married, but he admitted that he planned too one day. Everything was kind of everywhere at the moment, the next album was already in the works, we had our tour, and Brian also had some solo work on the side. Roger was single, had been for quite some time. He had kids with two of his exes, and kept in contact with all. He didn't set himself on finding someone for a relationship, he simply had flings here and there. Lastly, John. He had his wife Veronica waiting at home, with his two kids. Not to mention the one on the way. Hopefully, he manages to get home before the lil' one decides to arrive. 

During John's trance, Freddie had been scouring the area. He currently held two rocks in his hand and was staring at them intently, wondering how they could aid them in terms of shelter. Suddenly, an idea crossed his mind.  
"Nails!" the singer exclaimed, causing John to jump.  
"Nai- what?"  
"Nails. We could make the stones into nails! Y'know to hold everything together!"  
The brunette thought, slowly blinking at Freddie. He broke into a smile, "that's actually a good idea. How would we do that though?"  
Freddie huffed and stayed quiet for a moment, "find a way to break them..? And then sharpen them..?"  
John nodded. "Seems like the best way. Lets get some wood and stone, I suppose, and figure this out."

Other side of the island.  
21:14pm

As much as he hated too, Brian was loosing hope. He had circled nearly the entire island, but there was no sign of the blonde drummer. 

The guitarist had just passed a few brown bears stalking around a small area of the island, and was now heading towards a large, grey hanger. His breathing was heavy and he was starting to get cold, the warmth of the sun had since disappeared, so the urgency to find Roger was increasing. 

The tall man continued walking, whole body aching, picking up scattered water bottles and bananas as he went. From what Brian could see, there was a long and sort of wide, tarmaced runway; so surely someone must visit time to time? Brian finally reached the hanger and walked around the base, finding no way in or out that wasn't secured and locked. He had, however, seen some type of keypad that wouldn't work, so it was anyone's guess as to what was happening on the isle. The wind was slowly picking up and birds were beginning to fall silent as the quiet of the night took over. He sighed and looked at his surrounds, eyes scanning every area seeable and his ears listening for the slightest noise. 

Brian was about to turn and continue on when his gaze focused into a thin lump on the shore, its body dark against the golden sand. Panic and hope coursed through his body as he raced over. Features became clearer and clearer, Brian's heart leaping into his chest upon finally confirming that it was infact Roger, although the small man seemed unconscious. 

Brian collapsed beside the small blonde and turned him over, panicking at all the blood, staining both the sand and Roger’s clothes. Although Brian had tried to protect him during the crash, Roger seemed to have the worst injuries out of them all. The tall man let the brown backpack fall to the sand beside him, and he struggled before pulling out the first aid kit. Although most Roger's wounds had stopped bleeding, they still needed to be cleaned. 

(POSSIBLE TW: WOUND DESCRIPTION) 

The guitarist started with the deep cut on the blondes forehead, wiping away the turned-brown, dry blood before gently dabbing at the actual wound. Relief ran through Brian's body when Roger made a almost silent noise of discomfort, but was yet to open his eyes. At least he's alive. Brian took a bandage from the small first aid kit and carefully wrapped it around the wound, keeping it comfy yet secure. Next, Brian's arm wondered down Roger's slim body, dabbing and covering any cuts. They were all basically surface wounds, not very deep and had hardly bled, but Brian cleaned them nonetheless. The next, and last, major wound that Brian came across was in the drummers calf. It was a shard of glass, probably from the window that was next to them. The sun was set by the time Brian had cleaned the wound and grabbed the pliers from the med kit. He had softly whispered an apology to the unconscious blonde before grasping the shard in the pliers and wiggling it free - causing more discomfort to flood the blondes dirty face. Blood quickly began to pour out as Brian threw the glass against some rocks, grabbing yet another bandage. After he yet again cleaned the cut, Brian wrapped Roger's leg as securely as he could before packing everything back away. 

(okay it's over now) 

The night was bitterly cold. If Brian were to guess, it was no warmer than 5°c. The older man shakily sighed and put the backpack back on. He bent down and carefully picked up the limp blonde - holding him almost like a koala, with Roger's head resting over Brian's heart. The blondes mouth was open, eyes still securely closed. His arms and legs dangled weakly, completely reliant on Brian's arms under him to stop him falling.

Brian managed to shake his jacket off without letting Roger fall, and wrapped it around him. The drummers lips were a light blue, the rest of him ice cold. The last thing they needed was Roger to get hypothermia. In long strides, Brian started tracing his steps back to about where Freddie and John were planning. He hoped they had some sort of shelter by now...

On the other side of the island.  
21:23pm

"No, use three either side, not one. It'll just fall apart and then we'll be royally fucked even harder!" John rubbed his face. He was glad he had no way of reading his blood pressure.  
"That doesn't make sense, darling! There's only two planks!" the singer argued.  
"Three, Freddie. There's THREE. I swear to go- look." John pointed to his own large foundation base beside Freddie's. The pair had a small, dirt blueprint of what they thought the best house would be - so they'd have space for them and storage. They decided on a tall foundation, to protect them a little more from any adventurous animals. "One. Two. Three!"  
"Oh. My bad." And without a word, Freddie continued to hammer away with the DIY stone tool.

John sighed once more and continued to build. It wasn't often he swore, or raised his voice, but there was a lot going on. They only had two bases, but it was better than nothing. During gathering their resources, they had ventured over to the old truck that was, in fact, just dusty - it worked perfectly. They had driven it back over and parked it beside them before starting the basis of the makeshift house. In the trunk, they had found some gas, stones, tinned food and some tarp, so they could at least be covered during the next few nights. Although John was still praying that they'd be home soon. The pair's concerns were - once again - rising, as they now had no idea on the whereabouts or condition of Brian and Roger.

Then, as if he were summoned, "I-I found him."  
John and Freddie turned to the tall guitarist, hearts pounding in the confinement of their chests as their eyes settled on the still unconscious drummer. Brian gently lowered his shaking limbs to the ground, cradling Roger to his chest.  
"W-where was he?" Freddie mumbled, eyes locked on the multitude of bandages and plasters.  
"B-by the hanger o-over there," Brian pointed with a shaking finger at said hanger. "H-he hasn't woken y-yet, b-but he's responsive. K-kind of." The guitarist speech was slowed and slurred, the cold taking its toll.  
John lept to his feet and rushed to the truck, grabbing the tarp from the trunk. He unraveled it with help from Freddie, and folded it in half lengthways, then sideways. The bassist walked back over to the shivering mess of that was Brian and Roger, and wrapped the tarp securely around the pair, holding it shut with some string.  
"It's no blanket," he mumbled, "but it's all we got." The brunette then stood and rejoined Freddie, picking up his DIY hammer. With a glance in the other two's direction, John started to once again hammer. 

22:43pm.

"Oh, thank fuck!" Freddie had exclaimed, startling a sleeping Brian awake. Roger was still unconscious in Brian's arms.  
John huffed. "It'll do for today, it's gonna have to." The pair wearily tested their creation, kicking the foundation and shaking the walls, but nothing moved. They only had about half of the base complete, along with a corner with two walls, their shelter for the night. 

John helped the guitarist to his feet, minding the small drummer as he did so. Freddie lifted the two suitcases and the rucksack onto the wooden flooring and climbed up, pushing them into the corner. He then wondered back, bending down and holding his arms out towards Brian, motioning for the latter to set Roger in the singers arms. It was a slow task, considering the blonde was badly hurt, they didn't want to cause him any more distress or discomfort. Finally, Freddie was securely holding to drummer to him, watching and Brian climbed up. John followed, the tarp in his hand.  
"How much strength do you have, Bri?" The brunette asked, looking at the top of the walls. In his free hand, he held three makeshift nails.  
The curly one was quiet for a moment, catching onto John's plan. "Enough to lift you up there." John smiled and mentioned for Brian to do so, transferring the nails and placing his hand flat on the wall. 

Freddie stood back and watched Brian lift the bassist as high as he could, John sat on Brian's shoulders as he nailed the tarp to the top of the thick wood wall. The singer glanced down as the sleeping - that's what Freddie thought it as, just for comfort - drummer and smiled softly.  
At least he looks peaceful... Freddie thought before looking up, gently boosting the blonde close as the wind picked up once more. Brian's jacket was shielding Roger a little, but still the blonde started to shiver, mouth open as his breaths became visible. 

Freddie felt himself begin to zone out, finding his gaze locked onto the rushing waterfall. He wondered how long it would be until they were found and made it home. Surely someone would notice their disappearance, they WERE in the middle of a tour. Their loved ones would begin to worry, as they have no way of phoning home. Jim Beach would notice that they haven't turned up to finish their next album - people would worry. The plane company would notice that one of their aircraft essentially disappeared. Hopefully, it was equipped with a GPS, maybe they could see where it went missing. The plane had sunk a long time ago and the smoke was cleared, so the option of that being seen was excluded. If they were to get off, would it be all four of them? Would one of them die? Would they all die? Freddie tightened his arms around Roger's slim frame at that thought, quickly banishing it from his mind. They'd be okay, they all would. Everyone would heal and go back to normal, apart probably from trauma but that's part of surviving. Sure, they'd have restless nights and hard days ahead. They'd probably be hungry for quite a while until they had a stable food source, but they'd get through it. Freddie and John had already discussed the importance of a well so they could access some - reasonably clean - water. Before they knew it, they'd have shelter - a roof over their heads and somewhere sort of warm to sleep. They weren't quitters, they'd be absolutely fine. 

A thud and a grunt snapped Freddie out of his trance, head whipping around to face John and Brian. The two were now bent down, placing stones on the bottom of the tarp to stop it flapping around during the night. Freddie adjusted Roger and joined the other two, tiredness flooding his body as his arms trembled slightly.  
"This'll have to do for tonight..." John murmured, rooting around in the bags for things to use as pillows. He came across two travel pillows and a thin, but wide, blanket in Roger's suitcase. None of them knew why the drummer had it, but with the bitterness of the cold beginning to seep in, they weren't complaining. A sigh left the bassist's lips. "There's only two pillow.. things. Who's having 'em?"  
"Roger could do with one, stop the poor dear from rolling around tonight." Freddie spoke, rubbing the blonde's back as suddenly got agitated.  
Brian nodded in agreement. "I'll use my arm as a pillow, so it's between you two."  
"John, dear, you have it. You've worked hard." Freddie spoke with not a hint of hesitation in his voice, rocking side to side on his feet and humming soothingly to Roger.  
"Are you sure?" The question came out as a mumble, switching between watching Freddie slowly pace and Brian lowering to the ground.  
Freddie nodded, again with no hesitation, and motioned to the floor with a nod of his head. John sighed and laid down, staring up at the green tarp. 

Freddie finally managed to soothe Roger and ducked under the tarp, already feeling a bit warmer. The singer ever-so-gently lowered the drummer onto the wood floor between John and Brian - who was already asleep - and grabbed the thin blanket. Being careful not to hit the tarp or step on someone, Freddie threw the blanket over Brian, tucking it under the taller man slightly - laid it over Roger and John before laying down and tucking it slightly under himself. With a yawn, he murmured his goodnight - not that he was sure anyone was awake -, rested his head on his arm and slowly fell asleep. 

Crickets chirped quietly as John stared at the tarp. He was aware he was the only one awake, but he just couldn't fall asleep. It felt futile, too many thoughts were running through his brain. John turned his head to Freddie, who was facing him. The singer was on his side, back to the wall and facing the other three. His hair was already strewn across his arm and the floor, mouth slightly open and his face was settled with a reasonably at peace look. Freddie had slightly pulled his legs to his chest in hopes for keeping heat in, but was otherwise somewhat relaxed. A small smile appeared on John's face, quickly dropping it as he turned his head towards Roger and Brian. Roger was on his back, arms limply by his sides. The blondes face was slightly bruised, part of the bandage on his head was stained red. Roger's mouth was open, the air momentarily turning white with each breath. The drummers expression was blank, his lips had thankfully lost the blue tint as he had dried off. John pulled himself up, resting his head on his hand so he could observe Brian. The tall guitarist was also on his back, his head was facing Roger. Unlike the others, his mouth was closed, his left arm strewn over his stomach. Brian's expression was anything but peaceful. His eyebrows were furrowed and his face was riddled with anxiety. Brian was always an anxious person, but John could tell it had worsened a lot since the accident. 

John laid his head back on the pillow and reached his hand into his pockets, hoping to find more heat. Instead, his finger was poked by something sharp. He panicked for a moment before remembering what it was, grasping it between two fingers and out of his pocket. 

A smile spread across John's face as he looked at the small laminated picture, he always kept it in his pocket. It was taken on the first date him and Veronica ever went on, John, remembered that day strongly. 

The bassist had been working up enough courage to ask her out for weeks, but she had said yes. John was a ball of happiness and nerves rifht up until the day if the date. He took Veronica to a small pond near his home, taking a picnic and blanket too. John remembered laying with Veronica on the blanket, the two of them cloud gazing for hours - having a lunch break in between. They had laughed and barely stopped smiling the whole day, eventually John had taken a leap and grasped Veronica's hand in his, smile widening when she didn't pull away. As the day progressed, they took to walking around the pond - hand-in-hand - and learning more about each other. It was dusk when they finally snapped out of their bubble, John offering to walk Veronica home. It was there, under a faulty lamppost that the two shared their first kiss, neither of them were able to rid the blush from their cheeks - even after they parted ways. John had asked her a few days later to make it official and now here they were, married with two kids and one on the way. Oh, how he missed them already...his eyes hadn't yet left the photo. They would get home safely, all if them would. John knew it. 

The brunette slipped the photo back into his pocket when he heard a whimper beside him. His eyes first settled on Brian, who was laid exactly the same, but his gaze quickly focused on Roger as another whimper ripped through the silence. John tried cautiously rubbing the blonde's arm, but it was too no avail. As the drummer began to weakly twitch and cry out, the other two had woken. They, too, had tried to soothe him - again to no avail. Incoherent mumbles and gentle sobs broke the silence as the three of them helplessly watched. They would of shaken him awake, but that may worsen his injuries. For now, all they could do was watch. 

Roger's movements got worse, and he was moving as much as his weak body would allow. He was crying, tears streaming endlessly down his cheeks - reminiscent of the waterfall behind the majority of them. The drummer was shaking and shivering at the same time, strangled noises leaving his sore throat as he was forced to relive the crash. Of course, he had not yet woken, so his dream had made dream Roger stumble around, only to find his three bandmates dead. 

That image had been enough to wake him for the first time since the accident, bloodshot eyes shooting open as he gasped for breaths through the broken sobs of despair. John, who had been the closest, immediately - but carefully - bundled the blonde into his arms. One of John's hands came up to cup the back if Roger's head - an easy task as the drummer had buried his face into the nook of John's neck - whilst the other rubbed large but soothing circles on his back. John continued the movements as he rocked them both back and forth, whispering soothingly. Freddie was by John's right side still, softly rubbing one of Roger's arms, quietly singing. Brian was softly massaging the small of Roger's back, watching with sad eyes and the blonde sobbed helplessly and breathlessly into the nook of the bassists neck. 

Roger's hands weakly curled themselves in John's shirt as more sobs ripped from him. He buried himself closer when he was moved, sobbing getting harsher and louder. From multiple drunk, tired and comfort hugs - Roger knew the person he was clinging to was John. His racing mind couldn't comprehend the hands trying to lift him, he thought that someone was taking him away from John. Roger panicked more as his sobs caught in his throat, he felt like he couldn't breathe. The mysterious hands left Roger's side as the drummers vision flashed white, his heartbeat pounding in his ears - he knew John was speaking, but didn't know what he was saying. He was gently boasted onto John's lap, the bassist lifted Roger's arms onto his shoulders before engulfing him in a hug - rocking side to side and whispering comfortingly. 

Brian and Freddie sat back and watched as John soothed Roger, resting his head lightly on top of the blonde's as they swayed. Roger's sobs slowly began to fade as his body went limp again. Silence filtered back in when Roger finally fell back asleep, clinging to John. A sigh of relief fell from John's lips as the bassist gently moved Roger's legs, and laid down. The blonde brought his arms to his chest, legs limply at John's sides, with his head still hidden in the nook of John's neck. Brian and Freddie moved and laid down, shuffling closer so they could be warmer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: so, uhm, what did you guys think? It generally seems rushed and badly written, so I'm not that keen on it. Hopefully, the next chapters won't be the same. As normal, feedback is appreciated and feel free to ask any questions!
> 
> Ta-ta for now, my fruuitcakes <3
> 
> Hope you’re all safe and well :)  
> Love you fruitcakes 💙
> 
> Also, happy 10th anniversary to Rog and Sarina :)
> 
> Also also, I was thinking about creating an Instagram account just for this account here - it’d be for updates and when I plan to post. Also it’d allow me to interact with you guys more as well and get your ideas for new books and things. What do you think of it?


	3. Three - Doing All Right

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realised that I haven't done any point of views yet, so those'll be added in. They might stay, depends on how I feel about them haha
> 
> Oh! Another (I think) Trigger Warning: there's a dead body and description (and I mean gory shit) at some point. Idk if it's a trigger for anyone but here we are anyways. Yes, I will put a warning before the paragraph

May 2nd, 1985.  
06:51 - Day Three on the Island.  
Freddie's pov

The sound of birds just outside is what woke me up. I was greeted with the sight of the awful green tarp, reminding me of our current predicament. The night was freezing cold, reminding me of how much I was truly missing Jim. Thankfully, the sun was starting to rise and the heat was returning. I sat up and rubbed my face, letting out a yawn and stretching before turning towards my band mates. 

Brian had clearly just woken up, blinking slow and frequently, although he had made no effort to move. Between us, John and Roger were both still sound asleep - Rog was still on John's chest and hiding his face, John's arms were keeping him secure so he couldn't roll off. Our drummer had been sleeping on John's chest since the first night, his nightmares were long and - from what he described - horrifying. And they showed no signs of stopping, either. But, Roger needed to sleep if he was to heal and stay healthy, so John had simply suggested Roger laying on him. It all seemed to be going fine, so far. 

Brian stretched his long limbs and sat up, shaking his curls before yawning and turning to me.  
"Morning." He grumbled, still half asleep.  
"Good morning, darling. What's our plans for today?"  
Brian yawned again before answering. "Finishing this I suppose. Gotta finish the base, walls, get some doors in, and find a way to make some windows-" He yawned, again. "or some shit. Part from that, don't really know."  
I nodded and stood, ducking down as I wondered out from the tarp. We hadn't done any work the day before, too busy fixing everyone up and thinking about our plans for the days ahead.  
"Who went to get supplies last night?" Came Brian's sleepy call. I turned to him with a puzzled look.  
"No one did, darling. We all stayed here last night."  
"Someone must of." Brian motioned to the considerably larger pile of supplies. There was more food and drink - but also wood planks, nails, some type of sand, bricks, a petrol container and a wool-like material, with two carved knitting needles on top.  
"Maybe John did? I doubt Rog would of."  
Brian shook his head, "There's no way that Deacy would leave Rog like that, especially now." He lowered his voice. "There's someone here, Fred. I saw someone last night, they were a bit smaller than Rog. Couldn't get details, only saw a silhouette. And John was beside me the whole time."  
I shuddered. Honestly, I hated the fact that someone was here more than if we were alone. At least we had more supplies. "So, what do we do?"  
The guitarist sighed and thought. "Find them, I suppose..might be able to help us. They might know a way off. And if they're stranded like us...try and gain their trust? We can get them to leave when someone finds us."  
"Okay.." I started, not really liking the idea. "What do we do until then?"  
"Stay alert, I guess. Don't tell the other two just yet, not until we're more on our feet." I nodded and sat down as John began to wake. 

John stretched and carefully moved Roger beside him before sitting up, giving Bri and I a small wave.  
"Morning." He rasped. John was still tired, we could tell, since he had stayed up with Roger most of the night.  
"Good morning." Brian and I replied, I watched as Brian handed John some food - thanking him as he gave me some before he sat up - beginning to eat.  
"Who went out this morning?" John mumbled, motioning to the supplies.  
I began to panic, but Brian had a plan in place. "I did. Couldn't sleep so I went and got some stuff for today." He finished his banana and chucked the peel aside before standing. "You and Fred finish eating, I'll go get more wood."  
We both simply nodded, watching as Brian grabbed the axe and jumped down, disappearing behind the wall. 

We sat in silence for a while, eating and thinking at the same time. Birds and wildlife were slowly becoming more and more active as the sun rose higher in the sky. I was still thinking about who could of left those resources, since it wasn't any of us. Perhaps they were just shy and hiding? Hopefully we'd get to see them one day. Before we leave, would be best... Perhaps the person was just shy. Or maybe just not friendly, but didn't want us dead. Either way, I hope they eventually warm up to us...it's better to stick together than to be alone - especially in a situation such as ours. I mean, when someone finds us and we leave, they could come with us and have freedom. We'd happily help them with things like a house, furniture and a job. But at the same time, we couldn't force them to go - although we'd try our hardest. The island is habitual, but not in the long term. Food and water wouldn't last forever, and lack of commutation would drive someone insane after some time. Not to mention that, on our trip looking for Roger, we had seen no buildings apart from the hanger and garage. So, whoever in here, isn't protected. They have nowhere safe to sleep at night, no place to keep them warm. Even if they were local - by local I mean, most likely, South African - the unpredictable weather and temperature changes would probably make them ill before they inevitably die from exposure to the elements.

Roger began to stir beside John, the bassist was slowly sitting him up, which drew me from my trance. The drummer's eyes slowly opened and he looked around in confusion, completely reliant on John to keep him up. Roger had barely been awake yesterday, only awake for an hour and 16 minutes in total. We weren't sure on how aware he was of what happened, but judging by the fear etching across his face, it wasn't a lot.  
I moved to sit infront of him, taking Roger's cold hands in mine. "Darling? How do you feel?" He seemed to be panicking, not looking at me, but rather our surroundings. "Darling?"  
"W-where are we?" Roger's breathing had quickened, John was also trying to calm him down.  
I bit my lip nervously, thinking of the best way to explain. "Well...the jet crashed, dear. Do you remember that?" But Roger wasn't paying attention. He was instead tightly gripping my hands and frantically looking around. I dropped his hands and cupped his face, forcing him to look at me. "Rog, do you remember the jet crashing?"  
"U-Uh, yeah. Y-yeah."  
"What do you remember from it, dear?"  
Roger took a few shaky breaths, his cut but bandaged hands grabbing onto both mine and John's arms. "T-the pilot s-saying that something went w-wrong. S-something about b-birds?" I nodded and waited for him to continue. "T-then, Uh....I-I remember someone g-grabbing me. I-I think it was Bri?" Roger started to panic again, tears welling up in his eyes as he pulled away and tried to stand. "W-where's Bri?" He collapsed - his injured leg unable to deal with his weight -, only to be caught by John.  
"He's fine, sweetheart." I said softly, unaware of the nickname as I rubbed his leg.  
Still Roger didn't calm. "W-where is he?"  
John began rocking them both back and forth. "Just fetching some supplies, love. He'll be back soon."  
Tears began to fall down Roger's face, small sobs escaping him. "I-I wanna go h-home."  
"I know, Dear...I know." The only comfort I could offer was softly rubbing his leg as John cradled him. Roger broke down in sobs, collapsing into John's chest - the bassist held him tight, tears filling his own eyes at the sight of Roger (who's not one to cry in front of us) breaking down. 

We had managed to calm him quite a bit before Bri came back, concern immediately filling his face at Roger's soft cries. As soon as Rog had seen our tall guitarist, he had pulled away from John and reached up - still unable to stand by himself. Brian had picked him up and rubbed his back, carefully pacing around the base of our shelter whilst John and I set back on finishing up. 

That was an hour ago now. Brian had taken my place and I was pacing back and forth, holding Roger in my arms. He was asleep, although he wasn't able to keep it peaceful for long, and kept waking up. John and Brian were grabbing the ropes and pulling up the last section of wall, Brian pinning the rope as John climbed up and secured it to the other two sections. Deaky pulled himself up and onto the floor of the second floor, sliding across the last panel of the ceiling/floor. The loud scraping woke Roger up, jolting awake and looking around before hiding into my chest and stretching. I smiled and rubbed his back, resting my head gently on top of Roger's as I watched Brian carefully assemble the windows to the walls. 

Eventually, the first floor was complete. For our third day here, it was pretty incredible. Although to continue, we needed a lot more resources. The other two walked over, joining a wide-awake Roger and I as we figured out our next plan.  
"Maybe we should all go." John suggested, carefully taking a clingy Roger from my arms to give me a break. "We could explore a lil', and it'll get us doing a bit of exercise."  
Brian nodded. "Yeah, that sounds great. And we can keep an eye on everyone then, less to worry about."  
"That's sorted then, darlings." I said, stretching my arms. "Shall we go then? Soak in the sun whilst it's still warm?" The other two nodded and grabbed some bags, Brian jumping down first and grabbing the sledge that he and John had crafted that morning. I helped John down, watching as he softly set Roger on his feet, arms still tight around him.  
"Think you can walk, sweetheart?"  
I heard the blonde whimper. "I-I don't know."  
"Well, we'll go slowly, love." Brian said as he grasped the rope of the sledge, slowly beginning to wonder off towards the unexplored part of the isle. 

Eventually, Roger's legs got used to his weight and John could let go, holding Roger's hand to reassure him that he was there. We finally got to the area of land we wanted to and slowly began to wonder around. We spilt into four without realising, Brian and I staying more inland whilst John and Rog ventured to the shoreline. I took the time to look around, astonished by the small island's beauty. There were soft chirps or birds in the background, amongst the crashing of the waves as they grasped at the sand. The sand was a lovely golden colour, almost glistening in the rays of the sun. Beside me, there was a small mountain of land - which Roger was slowly disappearing behind - with a few trees dotted on it. It had a funny shape, probably caused from erosion, that was revealing the dirt and stone that was inclosed inside. There were small stones scattered around, some of which we hadn't seen before and happily picked up, along with the normal supply of bananas and a few waterbottles - both of which we also picked up. There was a small breeze floating across the land from the ocean, creating the perfect contrast of hot and cold. A quiet bang from Brian throwing a rock captured my attention as I remembered the task at hand. 

We were silent for a while. Just listening to the soft sounds of nature as we focused on our task. However, our peace was quickly replaced with fear as a bloodcurdling scream ripped through the air behind me. I spun around and looked around frantically, seeing Brian with wide eyes and John with the same expression. It dawned on us that, again, we were missing our drummer - sending all of us into panic and another scream sounded. Brian was first to move, dashing behind the same mountain of land with me and John hot on his heels. 

(Time for the TW, folks) 

We all immediately stopped in our tracks at what we saw. Roger, who was completely frozen, was stood staring down at a disfigured and slowly rotting body. We could tell from the uniform that it was, infact, one of our pilots - he had probably died upon impact with the current taking him here. Part of his left arm was missing, probably twisted up in the metal clump that was in the sea floor. He was all burnt and cut up, the wounds deep and wide. The pilots jaw was dislocated, parts of his skin actually torn enough that you could see bone. The eyes was lifeless and bloodshot, staring right ahead into nothingness. He was on his back, his stomach and chest completely cut open, entrails staining the golden sand. It was obvious that some of the island's wildlife had happily helped themselves to a meal - making the body look even worse. I slowly stepped closer to Roger - whose voice was starting to crack as he screamed -, my eyes trained on the body. I could see a various amount of insects - from flies and even maggots - nestled deep within the contents of our former pilot. The tide was high, beginning to pick the body up, so we knew it wouldn't be there tomorrow. But for now, it was here and scaring the shit out of a already terrified Roger.

(End of the TW)

I reached forward and grasped the screaming blonde's wrist, yanking him away and into my chest. Slowly, I began walking back - picking Roger up and clamping my arms tight around him as his waist as his screams turned into harsh sobs. We walked away, grabbing our stuff and quickly making our way back to the shelter. Roger was trembling so much that it was difficult to hold him, but I could understand why. 

We got back to the shelter and I watched as Brian picked up the blanket and tucked it around Roger, crouching down in front of me to help soothe him. The drummer's grip on my arms was incredibly tight, so much so I thought he'd rip my shirt. He was as close as he possibly could get, eyes wide, watery and red - along with his tear-stained cheeks and sore throat. I cradled him in my arms and nodded to Bri to help John - who was starting to build some of the stuff we needed -, since I knew I could handle Roger myself. Brian was hesitant but quickly scurried off to help John, and I turned my attention to the blonde on my lap. 

Roger was still pretty hysterical, whole body violently shaking as sobs racked through him. He was clinging to me, one side of his face pressed against my chest as he frantically looked around. Carefully, I moved him more into my arms - keeping him pinned against me as I softly rocked side to side.  
"S'alright, sweetheart." I mumbled softly, pressing a light kiss to his forehead. I wouldn't normally be this loving towards a bandmate - considering our separate relationships (or hookups, in Roger's case) , but I could tell that that was exactly what Rog needed right now.  
He let out a harsh sob, his voice raspy. "D-don't go."  
My face fell, leaning back against the wall as I repositioned Roger so he was a ball against my chest. "I'm not going anywhere, darling. Nor is Deaky. Nor is Bri." Slowly, I began running my fingers through his tangled blonde locks, my spare hand rubbing soothing circles on his back.  
"P-promise?" Roger's voice sounded so broken and secure I had to fight tearing up.  
"I promise, dear. We aren't going anywhere." 

Roger let out a soft sniff and curled against my chest, hiding his face and making himself as small as possible. I tucked the blanket around him and locked my arms around his waist, slowly swaying side to side in hopes of lulling the drummer to sleep.  
"C-can you-" He cut himself off and curled up tight, hoping I hadn't heard.  
"Can I what, love?" I kept my voice at a calm and quiet level.  
The blonde shook his head. "N-nothing."  
"C'mon, sweetheart." I coaxed. "You can tell me."  
"Just..." He was shy, still curled up into a small ball. "C-could you...keep petting my h-hair? I-I liked it."  
I couldn't help but smile, reaching up to continue said action and watching as his eyes slowly slid shut. Eventually, he gave up and succumbed to sleep, falling limp against my chest - but I didn't stop running my fingers through his hair. 

John and Brian lowered themselves to the ground either side of me - having been successful in their task of creating a well and a furnace.  
"How is he?" John asked, gently moving a stray piece of Roger's hair and smiling.  
I shrugged softly. "Alright, I suppose. Scared shitless but as long as he's with us, he should be okay."  
The other two nodded as we let a peaceful silence fall upon us - listening to the soft sounds of nature and the waterfall. We all had a certain protectiveness over Roger. Despite his fiery and fierce personality and walls, he was a very fragile person. He craved attention and affection - hence the substantial amount of hookups since his last relationship - but also distance and freedom. He could be a pain in the arse, but we loved him dearly. We knew that he was more affected by things than it seems, so we're always cautious in our words and actions. Of course, all it takes is a few words to set the blonde off, and he can be difficult to calm down. Naturally, we did our best to stop those things happening. Even though John was the youngest, it felt like Rog was sometimes. With his childhood widely controlled by that asshole we don't talk about, he could be rather childish - his brain sometimes not wanting to believe he's grown up. But we dealt with it. Sometimes, all he wanted was a shoulder to cry on and a tight hug, then he was fine. Sometimes, it was a few beers or something stronger. Other times, it could just be something to slam his fist through. But we helped him, no matter what it was.

I yawned softly and shifted to lay down, keeping Roger on my chest as I did so. As my eyes closed, I could hear John and Brian stand from behind - before the door opened and shut a few seconds later. I came to the conclusion that they were either going on a walk or gathering supplies, shifting Roger one last time before fading into sleep.

John's POV

It was still hot and daylight, so - whilst the other two napped - Bri and I wordlessly decided to gather more things - and hopefully have a decent night sleep. We were only going to parts of the island we knew - after the encounter with the body - we weren't taking chances. We were walking silently side-by-side, stopping here and there to pick up resources or to gather some wood. I was skimming the small area we were in, looking and thinking of ideas of how we could incorporate everything. I picked up some scratching but warm - at least I hope it'll keep us warm - twine and shoved it into my backpack.  
"What'd you have there, Deacs?" Brian appeared beside me, pulling the wood sleigh behind him.  
"Twine." I answered with a small smile. Homesickness was really getting to me. "It'll keep us warm, hopefully. We could give Rog back his blanket back then, and have individual blankets."  
Brian nodded and smiled. "Yeah, some warm'll be great. I can't imagine us leaving Rog for though, with those nightmares." We started slowly walking again, my hand was in my pocket and gently grasping the photo of Veronica.  
"Yeah, probably. I think they'll get worse after seeing...y'know."  
"Oh, almost definitely. We'll just have to keep on eye on him." I nodded and looked around as we fell into a peaceful silence. 

We had all gotten used to the island's static sound of birds and the ocean by now, with the occasional scattering of a deer running - or the call of a wolf or fox. The waterfall had become the island's background noise now, something we sort-of found comfort in. It was a familiar sound, but was something foreign as well. The grass was green and the trees were full of leaves, with all the flowers fully bloomed. It was actually quite nice. It was unpolluted and completely clean, as well as far enough from land that you forgot all your worries. Well, you would if you weren't stranded, like us. We longed, yet hated, the day that we would leave. I mean, we would have our families back - but at the same time, we would no longer have this serenity and cleanliness of land. But, I wanted to return home to my family, as we all did.

Brian spoke up, it was as if he were reading my mind. "How're you finding it here?"  
I shrugged, kicking my feet slightly on the grass floor. "Alright, I suppose. I'm glad that you three are here as well, but I miss my wife - my kids, too. Keep feeling homesick, yknow, but I'm getting through it."  
The guitarist nodded. "Yeah, yeah, same here. It's just difficult not knowing when we're going back - if we make it through that long."  
"We will, Bri." I gave him a reassuring smile and bumped my arm with his. "We're strong and stubborn, we'll do great." Brian smiled before facing forward again, allowing the silence to temporarily overcome us. 

I shuddered, I had that godawful feeling that we were being watched. I looked around as we walked, but I couldn't see anything. It was probably just paranoia. But still, it ate at my insides.  
"Hey, Bri? Have you ever felt like someone's watching you? Whilst we've been here.. more specifically."  
I swore that I saw fear momentarily pass through the guitarist. He was quiet for a while, thinking. “A few times, yeah. Why?”  
“Why’d you hesitate?” If he had seen someone, I think I had a right to know who.  
Brian hesitated and merely shrugged. “No one, Deacs.”  
“Certainly doesn’t seem like no one.” I turned and stared him down. “Who was it?”  
Brian sighed. “Look, I don’t know who it was. All I saw was a silhouette of someone who looked slightly smaller than Rog. I thought it was, but no one was there.”  
“When?”  
“Couple night’s back. Well, our first night here.”  
I ran a hand through my long hair, shifting. “Why didn’t you tell us?”  
“Actually, I told Freddie.”  
“I suppose Rog and I are physic then?”  
“Well no-“ Brian, again, sighed. “Look, I just didn’t want to freak you two out. Roger’s bad enough as it is and your stressing over being homesick and making sure Rog’s okay. Figured you didn’t need the extra stress.”  
“Well, thank you, Bri. But next time, please tell us. Wouldn’t of been fun if Rog or myself had run into someone we didn’t know was here.”  
He nodded, a look of regret and guilt clouding his face. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll tell you next time.”  
“Thank you.” I smiled. “Now let’s continue.”  
Brian smiled and began leading us back in our previous direction.

We spent a few hours collecting supplies, before we literally couldn’t carry anything more and went back to the shelter - laying down for a while. Freddie had only recently woken up, back against the wall and rubbing a sleeping Roger’s back slowly - trying to fight the call of sleep. Brian was napping and I was sat by a window, staring out as I did so. I had a feeling the next few days were going to be brutal. What would be Brian’s anniversary was coming up soon, as well as Veronica’s and a couple of Fred’s cat’s birthday’s. A suspicion told me that those were going to be the worst days. But we’d get through them. 

I stared at the waterfall from the window and began to wonder about who was here. They’d must of been here a while, before us, but surely not long? I don’t think anyone could survive here for long. I hoped that we would find a way to draw them out - maybe befriend them. It may be difficult and we certainly have to be cautious. But we weren’t doing that yet. We had our shelter to finish - try and make it a temporary home. I rested my head gently on my arms, bringing my knees to my chest as I did so. When my eyes started to close, I let them - hoping to find some peace in my sleep to distract me from the chaos here. As sure enough, my eyes slowly faded into the pitch blackness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry about the long update on this!
> 
> I’ve had a lot of family drama lately - as well as a episode of depression. Alas! I overcome it and finally finished this (short) chapter. 
> 
> My updates may be slow, unfortunately. School has started (the evenings is really my only time to write and relax) and I also have an infection in my leg, which is constantly causing me pain and taking up time to soothe it.
> 
> Lastly, it’s my birthday today haha! So this is my present, that I am giving to you guys. 
> 
> So what did you think of this chapter? Any predictions about what the future will bring? 👀


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They'll be some italics later on in the chapter, the words in italics are spoken in Afrikaans - Google translate would be dodgy and there's no point in putting the same thing twice lmao

May 12th, 1985  
11:23am

Freddie's POV  
It has been absolutely gruelling on this island. But we were used to it now. Sort of. We now finally have the entire house built, we just need to build the rest of our furniture. Currently, Brian was upstairs at a workbench, crafting the last bedframe that we needed. John was on the opposite side of the room, creating some picture frames and general décor to try and make this place more homely. I was sat on a chair, knitting as many blankets as I could with the stuff we currently had. Roger was on my lap, zoned out and staring outside, both of his hands balled into fists in my shirt. He's been really clingy and anxious since he had seen the body, which was understandable. But he wouldn't let anyone out of his sight, so we never let him out of ours. 

Everyone has been really off lately; Roger for obvious reasons, Brian was more protective and cautious, Deaky was just more quiet - he was often just looking outside at the waterfall -, and I was off simply because everyone else was. We were all very unnerved as well, John and I had seen someone scamper away from us a few days ago - we had no clue who it was. All we saw was a flash of blonde and a skinny body dash away. It was certainly keeping everyone alert, we had no clue if we were in danger or not. For now, we were just focusing on the house - if we came across the person again, then we'd try to talk to them. Until then, we just tried to ignore it. 

I let out a quiet sigh as I finished another blanket, wrapping it around Roger instead of setting it aside. He jumped and looked up at me before smiling and curling his body close. After setting the needles down, I wrapped my arms around Rog and stretched - looking over at the other two. John was at the wall opposite us, nailing a photograph to the wall. I believe it was the one of him and Veronica, but I couldn't quite see. Soft thuds sounded as Brian came downstairs, grabbing the last bed set and jogging back up - disappearing from view. I looked over at John, watching as he stared out of the window and at the waterfall. Roger had fallen asleep - I could tell - as he normally did during the day, his nightmares seemed 10 times worse at night. So, he tended to nap in the day. 

The silence was almost deafening, so I decided to break it. "So...Deaks..." Ah. Nothing like making it awkward, Fred. Alas, the Bassist looked over. "What's so interesting about the waterfall?"   
John shrugged and sat back in his chair. "Dunno, if I'm honest. Just feel like something's there, y'know?"   
I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, yeah. Maybe something is. We don't know."   
"Exactly." Deaky sighed, eyes trained on the outside world. "That what makes it so unnerving." I nodded in agreement, shifting Rog and looking up as footsteps yet again sounded.   
Bri gaves us both smiles, grabbing a water bottle and taking a drink. "Have we got anything else to do today?" I simply looked to John, not knowing if he had planned anything else.  
Our bassist shrugged and looked to our resources corner. "We'll probably have to go for food and shit like that, we're pretty low."  
Brian nodded, "Now or..?"  
"Nah, we can go later. Wait for it to get a bit cooler."  
Brian nodded again, sitting in a chair by a window. "So...what do we do until then?"  
I piped up, "Just relax, I suppose. Unless we have something else?"  
John shook his head. "We don't." So, we relaxed.

Roger woke up a few minutes later, but stayed exactly where he was. I kept him in my arms, one hand softly rubbing circles - hoping to lull him back asleep. That idea - however - was abandoned after Brian startled the poor dear back awake.   
"I think I've read about this place before! The island, that is."   
John raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"  
"What'd you read, Bri?" I questioned, shifting Roger on my lap.   
"Wait," John started. "How do we know it's this island?"   
Brian thought. "Well its a reasonably small island off the coast of South Africa. Has a waterfall and a plane hanger. Accompanied by two islands - one of which is unaccessable. Pretty sure it's the right one."  
John and I looked at each other and shrugged before turning back to Bri.   
"Well," John began. "please continue."  
Our guitarist shifted in his seat as I bundled the blankets back around Roger's shivering body. "So, I was reading about the family that used to own the island, back in the 70s. They came here for a small vacation one day with their four year old daughter. Whilst here, they were sorting something out; turned their backs and when they turned back around the daughter had disappeared. They searched for her for hours before calling in a search party."  
"And?"   
Brian shrugged softly. "Couldn't find her. They kept coming back for about - I think - six months. Not a single trace of her anywhere."  
"So what happened?" I spoke, feeling Rog shift in my arms.   
"Police pronounced her dead a couple months later. It was unlikely that she would of survived - with winter just setting in at the time. Not to mention the animals too. Either way a body was never found, even now there's been no trace or sign of her."   
"So she disappeared into thin air?" Roger mumbled, listening closely.   
Brian sighed softly. "Apparently so. Either someone else was here and took her, or maybe she found a nook somewhere."  
John piped up, now standing. "Probably still dead nonetheless..."  
The guitarist sighed sadly. "Most likely. There's no way a 4 year old could survive on her own here."  
"What was the poor dear's name?" I asked.  
Brian furrowed his eyebrows, trying to remember. "S-Sara? Sarah? Shelia? I don't remember, something with an S anyways."  
I nodded, feeling sorrow knowing that that small child died all alone. "I hope she went in peace..."  
Brian and John nodded along, Brian speaking before silence overcame us. "And that she's in peace... Wherever she is."

16:13pm (a/n: I'm horrible at time skips sorry)  
Brian's POV

"So," I began, watching as John closed the door. "where do we start?"   
"Uhm...that spot just away from those bears was quite good. We'll just keep an eye out." Great. Awesome. Perfect. I put on a smile and nodded, matching John's pace as we began walking. It was still warm and sunny, despite the small but heavy rain shower we had earlier on. Although, everything was almost completely dry, so you really couldn't tell. Freddie and Roger decided to stay inside, sorting out the presentation side of the house. 

We stayed in silence for a few minutes, John being the first to try and spark a conversation.  
"So. Would anything exciting be happening back home?"   
A soft chuckle escaped me, adjusting my DIY rucksack. "Don't think so, if I'm honest. You?"  
"Eh. One of my cousin's birthday's in a few days. I don't really know them anyways."   
I nodded softly, bending down to pick up a few ressources. "How- How're you holding up now? With being away from everyone?"   
A look of sadness flashed across John's face. He was a very family-based guy, so being away was truly pain for him. "It's...difficult, to say the least. Y'know, just missing hearing the kids, messing around with them. Putting them to bed, reading to 'em - y'know everyday things." I nodded in agreement, I missed that with my kids too. "And Ronnie too, of course. Just miss waking up to her everyday, helping her around the house - the simple things like that. 'Course she's pregnant too, have a bad feeling that I might miss it." Deacy gave a soft shrug, looking around at the sound of bushes moving. We silently passed it off as the wind.   
"Who knows, Deacs? I mean, we're famous rockstars - surely someone will notice our disappearance. And plus, we have five months, I'm almost certain you'll be back in time."  
John placed more things in his bag before standing with a nod. "Maybe, yeah. How're you coping?"  
"The same as you are, really. Missing Anita and the kids a lot. Just want to go back home, really." I added more things to my bag, beginning to feel the weight pull me down. "Hoping they'll find us soon and we can get the fuck away from here."  
Deacs shifted his bag so it was more comfortable, nodding. "Yeah, same here. Surely it can't be lo-" There was a call of a near-by fox - just behind the bushes. I pulled John towards me, getting him closer to safety incase the fox was coming towards us. I held up the makeshift axe as a defence as the rustling got louder, keeping Deacs behind me. Much to our surprise, it wasn't a fox that fell through the bushes, but a person. A woman, to be exact. She was wielding a wooden spear in her hand, well she did before she threw it. There was a soft squeak of pain from whatever she had hit before silence overfell us. 

The woman was facing away from us but we were still long enough to be able to take detail in. She was short and incredibly skinny with very long - but also messy - blonde hair. Everywhere on her body, there were an assortment of scars and cuts, probably from past battles with the elements. Not to mention that she really didn't look that old - no more than 25. She seemed quite naturally tan, so she was probably from nearby. We didn't have enough time to take in more detail, for the woman turned around and saw us. 

Panic flashed through her eyes as she ever so slowly began to back away, holding the spear out in front of her. John and I shared a look of "the fuck do we do?!" before turning back to the woman.   
"Uhm... English?" John called out, unsure of what to do. All we got was a confused look back. "Do- do you speak English?"   
The woman called something back to us in another language, it was speedy and panicked so neither of us could figure out what language it was.   
"Well," John laughed nervously. "Don't think she speaks English, Bri."  
"Yeah, no shit. So, what do we do?"   
Deaks shrugged his shoulders, looking back at the woman. She was beginning to get away, making movements to run."Oh god, I dunno. Grab her?"   
"You're fucking insane." So anyways I started approaching the mysterious woman. I could see her breathing increase more and more as I got closer and closer. She had more wounds than I thought, and some looked infected. Not to mention how skinny she was. I knew that we had to help her somehow. Even if that meant causing her some distress. 

Suddenly, she span on her heels and tried to run - but I was faster. I somehow manged to hook an arm around the woman's waist and pull her back against my chest, pinning her there. Naturally, she fought me and tried to get away; it seemed that she generally had no energy left in her body. Something told me that we found her just in time. I looked at John a few minutes later, loosening my grip as the woman began to grow weaker and visibly tired. Eventually, her body went limp and the woman whimpered in defeat, seemingly just giving up. John came over and joined us, hands by his side to show that he had no weapons.   
"So," He started. "what do we do now?"   
"Not sure. Take her back? Can't leave her out here, she'll die." I saw Deacy study the woman's limp body, seeing how skinny and injured she really was. It was only now that I could see how damaged her hands were - they were cut, scarred, swollen and bloody. Not a pretty sight.  
Slowly, John nodded. "Wouldn't say we have a choice." 

I managed to pull the woman up and turn her towards me, noting her soft and pained whimpers. I also noticed the way that she leaned away from me as much as she could in her weakened state, and how weary she was of me and John. We grabbed all of our belongings and resources, makes sure our path back was clear, and set off back to the shelter. Everything seemed to be going great, I loosened my hold on the woman and there didn't seem to be anything around that could harm us. That, however, was a mistake. 

Barely a few seconds after my grip relaxed, the woman seemingly bust back into life and yet again try to escape from my grasp. I gasped and dropped the rope to the sleigh, throwing my other arm around her small frame, and pinned her against my chest. Alas, she managed to still kick her feet harder than Roger could if he was high and in a tantrum. I felt a few painful thuds to my thighs, as well as a few flying punches to my arms. Somehow, I managed to keep my grip tight long enough for John to use over and grab the woman's injured feet to stop her kicking, all the time he whispered soothing things to her. It didn't seem to be much use; I'm not sure she even understood.

Collectively, John and I managed to get back to the hut, the woman long since exhausted and barely awake. Deacy was walking just ahead of us, he shoved open the door before skedaddling to the side room to drop off our resources. Freddie stared at me with wide eyes as I half carried/half dragged the woman inside. Roger was just waking up, quickly panicking and hiding further into Freddie as I walked further in. I had previously thought that the woman was long asleep or passed out, until she suddenly jolted up and freed herself from my gasp. There was nowhere for her to run - Deacy had just walked in and closed the door - and her frightened state lead her to trap herself in a corner. We looked at each other with nervous faces, unsure of what to do.  
"Bri..." Freddie started, holding Roger securely. "Try and talk to her."  
I opened my mouth to respond but Deacs beat me to it. "She's not English, Fred. Doesn't understand us."  
"Oh. Well, what language do they speak over here?"  
It was silent for a moment whilst I thought. "Uhm, English is one - obviously not in this case. Afrikaans, Venda, Xhosa and Swazi...there's some others I can't remember or know."  
"Well, try those then." I nodded and crouched down a few feet from the woman.

My first choice was Afrikaans, but I only received a blank stare in return. I sighed and instead tried Swazi, but to no avail. I tried language after language - even ones that I wasn't particularly fluid in - but all of them didn't seem to be the mysterious person's language.   
With a groan, I tried the last language I could think of - Zulu. I repeated the same phase as a I had been: "Can you understand me?" - perking up upon seeing her slowly nod, but not relaxing. "Thank god. She speaks Zulu." I announced, turning to the others.  
John looked up with hope in his eyes. "Do you speak it well?"  
"Yeah. Quite fluently."  
"Sorry." Freddie butted in. "But how did you learn? Where you just like - 'fuck it I'm bored let's learn another language!'?"   
I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me. "God no. One of my Mum's friends spoke it - she was from South Africa too. She ended up teaching me at some point."  
"Ah. Please continue."   
I watched Freddie lean against the wall again, holding Roger against him, before turning back to the woman. "Where're you from? South Africa?" Again, I was met with nothing bar a small nod. "Where about? The city?" I pressed on, determined to know more.   
"Close to Jo'burg...I think." Her voice was barely a whisper, shaky and soft with fear riddled through it. But I was glad she spoke.   
"My name's Brian." I turned around, point to each collective person as I spoke. "That's Freddie, the blonde one is Roger. The one on that chair there is John. What's your name?"   
I watched in confusion as the woman fell silent, seemingly trying to remember. How does one simply forget your own name? "S-Sara?" She paused. "No, no. Sarah." Another pause. It generally seemed really difficult for her. How long had she been here? "Sabrina." Her voice said it confidently but her face showed weariness. I gave her a few minutes to really think about it, before her face lit up in confidence and joy. "Sarina! A-at least I think so.."   
I smiled at her, noting how she had moved from sitting on her feet to directly on the floor, I can't imagine how much pain she was in. "That's a lovely name. How long have you been here?" Being slow and sly, I slightly moved forward and sat down, able to see her wounds more clearly.   
Again, she fell quiet and thought. "N-not sure."  
"Any family that you know of?" She nodded. "When did you last see them? Who were they?"  
"M-my parents. I-I were...four? Maybe f-five?" Something in my brain began to click.  
"What year?"   
"Uhm...nineteen....sixty....four? Wait, no. Five. 1965." Again, my suspicions were rising.   
"Why were you out here?" I slowly moved closer, silently signalling to John to get the first aid kit.   
"My parents h-had a..Uhm...plane...storage...thing-"  
"An aeroplane hanger?"  
She nodded, watching and tensing as John walked over. Her eyes never left him. "Y-yeah. We came on Uhm... h-holidays? They buyed this place a-and we visited every year." I was taking a few moments to translate what she was saying - her lack of proper words and grammar making it harder - as well as sorting out the first aid box. I could feel her eyes on me.   
"What happened? Why are you here?"  
"I-I...A-all I remember is turning away from my parents...it went black and when I woke they were gone. I-I haven't seen them since..."   
My expression saddened as I grasped what I needed and set them infront of me. I looked up to see her eyes on me, a look of fear on her face as she tensed up more. Her eyes flicked over to the kit, before looking at the open door. John must of seen, as I could see him move in my peripheral and close the door. I heard the tiniest of whimpers escape from Sarina (or at least she thinks that's her name) as she tucked herself further into the corner.   
I let out a small sigh. "Not going to hurt you. Just want to clean you up, that's all." She nodded, but made no effort to move. 

I heard a soft "where're you going, bud?" from Freddie behind me and turned around to see Roger wearily making his way over. I furrowed my eyebrows, watching as he slowly walked past me and lowered himself to the ground beside Sarina. We were all in shock, watching Roger maintain eye contact with her.   
"Brimi? Can you ask her if she's cold?" It was an odd thing to ask -in a sense-, but I didn't question the drummer.   
"Uh, sure. Are you cold, Sarina?"  
Her eyes left Roger's for a fraction of a second before turning back. "N-no." But her shivering body told me otherwise.   
"What'd she say?" Roger murmured, making himself comfortable.   
"She said no, but she looks it." Roger nodded and I watched him slide the blanket off his shoulders before he leaned forwards -prompting Sarina to sink down more- and slowly wrapped the cloth around her shoulder's. I saw her tense up before slowly relaxing, adjusting to the new weight around her. 

Roger slowly sat beside her, making himself appear as small and unthreatening as he could. I shuffled forward and held out my hand. Sarina was hesitant, but with a comforting smile from Roger, she slowly set her hand in mine. I smiled before picking up some -somewhat- antiseptic liquid to help clean her wounds. Roger carefully set an arm around her shoulders as some type of comfort as I dabbed her hand with a antiseptic-soaked cotton bud. I felt her jolt and attempts to pull her hand away, whimpering into Roger’s side. Softly, I sighed. I knew this would take a while. 

21.12pm  
John’s POV

Currently, Brian and Rog were upstairs -presumably asleep whilst Freddie, myself and the mysterious woman stayed downstairs. Freddie and I were by a window, drifting in and out of conversation, slowly getting more and more tired as the night went on. The woman was half watching us, half fighting to stay away. Bri had wrapped her hands and feet -making her almost immobile- to try and heal the wounds and suspected infection. 

Freddie yawned loudly and stretched, the sun had long set behind him. He looked exhausted, presumably from staying up with Roger most of the night.   
My attention was diverted as Freddie stood up, startling...Sarina (was that her name?) back awake from a light nap. “I might head on up to bed dear...Will you be coming up soon?”  
I thought for a moment. “Y’know what, I’ll come up now. I’m too tired.” Freddie nodded and I stood, stretching a little. I was about to follow before my eyes connected with hazy brown orbs across the room. “Fuck, Freddie what do we do with her?”   
Freddie turned around, confused for a moment before remembering. “Oh shit...that’s a good point...” I watched him as he tried to think of a solution. “Oh! We have that spare bed, the one that Roger was gonna use. She could sleep there?”   
I nodded. “Good point. How do we get her there?”   
“She can walk?”  
“She can’t walk, Fred. Remember what Bri said.”  
“Good point. Uhm, Carry her? I mean, she’s smaller than Rog.” 

I sighed and slowly began to approach her, holding my hands up in surrender. She cowered away from me, a loud whimper escaping her. Wincing as my knee cracked, I crouched down infront of her, slowly holding out a hand. I made myself as friendly as possible, hoping that she’d trust me enough to carry her upstairs. To my surprise, she slowly shuffled forwards after a couple minutes and set her bandaged hand in mine. I gave her a reassuring smile and moved closer, slowly setting my arms around her and lifting her up - causing her to whimper once more. I stood and cautiously walked over to Freddie, allowing him to go up the stairs with me following. We got up there pretty safely and we separated as Fred migrated to his room, whilst I hip-bumped the door to (what would be) Roger’s room. It was dark, the only light was some illumation from the moon outside, casting soft beams of grey across the room. I shuffled to the bed and managed to pull the covers back, carefully laying Sarina (again, I can’t remember) down and tucking her in.   
“Good night.” I whispered, even though she didn’t understand, before standing up and walking out of the room. I left the door open, allowing easy access in and out of the room if necessary.

Tiptoeing, I snuck into my temporary room and laid down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. I was missing Ronnie more than ever now, each day was getting progressively harder and harder to deal with. We were all that way. But, we couldn’t let that bring us down - infact it gave us something to look forward to, something to fight for. Sure, we didn’t know how many days, weeks or even months it would be until we saw them again, but all the tough days and nights made it all the more worth it. 

I let out a sigh, rolling onto my side and looking out of the window. The night had progressed into that time where barely anything was awake, nature was either falling asleep or waking up. It was quiet and nice, it almost made everything seem okay - a false sense of security if you will. I felt my eyes involuntarily shut with tiredness, and just gave up. Everything around me felt fuzzy and soft, before I slipped into the world of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah sorry it’s Sarina, I understand that some of you may not like her but my friend (who is technically co-writing this, but they don’t have an account) suggested it so I hope that’s okay with you all. Also, sorry this took so long - a lot of shit has been happening lately and I just haven’t had motivation, but I hope this part is okay nonetheless!


	5. Chapter 5

May 13th, 1985  
10:21am

Brian's POV  
Cautiously, I pinned Roger's bandage to itself so it will stay, being careful not to hurt him. It was a success and the bandage was secure - I stood up and stretched my back, looking around the room. We had all just finished breakfast, John and Freddie were discussing something, Rog and I were at the kitchen and Sarina was on the couch - away from us all. She was still very weary of everyone, tensing up or cowering if one of us came too close - which was understandable. In her defence, it has probably been years since another human stepped foot on this island. The only one Sarina kind of trusted was Roger, although they didn't understand each other - a bond had formed rather quick. Albeit, Sarina wouldn't allow anyone to touch her apart from the short trip from one floor to another, but at least Roger was forming a bond. 

We had no plans for today, everyone was sore and achy - so, we decided just to relax. I was taking to opportunity today to try and teach Sarina some basic English - hopefully she'll warm up a bit, since she'll be able to make out some of what we say. Roger was joining me, since we had nothing better to do.  
"Brimi?" Roger spoke, setting his DIY wooden bowl aside. "When can we start teaching Sarina?" It was as if he were reading my mind. I opened my mouth to speak, but John beat me to it.  
"Teaching her what?"  
"English." I replied, turning around. "At least, basic stuff. Maybe she'll come around if she can understand us." John nodded and turned back to Freddie, who currently had some fabric in his hands. "Well then. Shall we start?" Roger nodded and slid off his stool. 

We made our way over to Sarina - Rog sat on the other end of the couch, whereas I sat infront of her on the chair. Both of us caught her nervous glances, watching as she tried to sit up more. Her hands and feet were still very badly damaged and swollen - in sure she had an infection as well -, which had rendered her practically immobile, and most likely will for some time. Roger leant forwards and carefully helped her sit comfortably, immediately moving back to show he was no threat. Sarnia nervously shuffed slightly away, looking between us. 

"Sarina?" I called out, causing her to look over at me. " _I am going to try and teach you our language, okay? So you can understand us._ "  
She tilted her head to the side, before softly nodding. " _A-alright._ "  
" _We'll start with basics, okay? Are you ready?_ " I watched as she gave a nervous glance to Roger, I was also aware that John and Freddie were now quiet and listening. Softly, I patted her knee to get her attention back to me. " _just me and you, Sarina. Ignore them._ "  
Another soft nod. "Okay.."  
" _Okay._ " I started, sitting up more. " _Lets start with proper basics. A greeting - Hello. Can you repeat that?_ Hell-o." I tried sounding it out as much as I could, giving her a reassuring smile.  
Her posture was tense again, I could tell she was getting nervous. I didn't understand why, so I just left it - for now. "H-h...Uhm..." She seemed to forget what I said.  
"Hell-o." I repeated, tone soft and encouraging.  
"H-hell-o? Hell-o?"  
I broke out in a wide smile. " _That's it! Repeat it again,_ hello." The tiniest of smiles appeared on Sarina's face as she repeated the word a few more times, practically perfecting it each time. Albeit, it was an east word, but it didn't matter. I could tell the others were as happy about it as i was. 

John's POV

Its been a few hours since we began practicing words and even small sentences with Sarina - just anything we could think of - and it was going great. She was learning really quick. Roger had been trying to gain her trust, slowly shuffling closer to Sarina without her noticing. He had managed to sit right beside her, his arm up on the back of the sofa. Everyone had a certain calmness over them; i suppose the underlining fear of being watched has gone as we knew now who it was. It seems silly now of how scared we were, everyone thinking it was some big, bulky person who uses bones as toothpicks - but no, all it was was this tiny, skinny girl who was just trying to keep herself safe. Oh well. Currently, Fred had taken Bri's place in teaching Sarina, so that Bri could take a break and eat. Both Brian and I were sat at the kitchen island, watching over the other three. 

We hadn't spoken to each other much, so it suprised me when Brian spoke up.  
"You don't seem yourself, Deaks. What's up?"  
I turned to the tall guitarist, raising an eyebrow. "Probably the same thing that's troubling everyone else, to be honest."  
"Well," he turned, facing me directly. "what issue do you think that is?"  
"Missing home." I started. "Missing my kids and Veronica more than ever now."  
Brian tilted his head to the side. "How so?"  
"It's stupid, but teaching Sarina to speak English is just reminding me of teaching my kids how to speak. It's making me really nostalgic thinking about - remembering their wide, bright eyes starting up at me and desperately trying to repeat whatever i said to them."  
He nodded and sighed in agreement. "Yeah, i feel you. It is hard, if I'm honest, especially today - like you said, I'm just being reminded of teaching the kids. All nice memories, though."  
I nodded, a thoughtful expression on my face. "Yeah, they are nice memories. Just wish we are at home though."  
"Same here."

I thought for a moment, thinking about how we didn't even know how old Sarina was. "Hey, Bri?" A soft 'hm?' sounded from him. "How old is Sar?"  
"Oh she's... i don't know... Hey, Sarina?" We watched as the small blonde looked over at us.  
"How old are you, love?" I asked, glad she could vaguely understand us.  
She fell silent, thinking for a while. "Uhm...Ni-nine..teen? I think?"  
"When's your birthday, dear?" Freddie asked.  
"O-oh its...the...eighte- eighteenth?" She looked at us for confirmation she said the word right before continuing. "Of, uhm... De- Dece..m..ber? December?" We nodded again, Roger smiling at her reassuringly.  
"Do you know the year?" Roger said softly, rubbing carefully between her shoulder-blades.  
Again, she fell silence for a few minutes. "I-I think...ni-nineteen...six...six?"  
"1966?" Brian confirmed, Sarina nodded - she was nervously biting on her lip. "Thank you, love. You can go back to whatever now." She turned back around, Freddie picking up another conversation.  
"God." I mumbled, doing some quick maths in my head. "She's only eighteen."  
Brian nodded. "I know... Spent fourteen bloody years here now."  
"It's a miracle, really that she's survived this long."  
"That it is..."

The rest of our day went quite smoothly. Freddie and Rog made sure that Sarina was confident on she knew as Bri made us something to eat. We ate and decided to sit upstairs and watch the sunset, a nice wave of calmness and security swept over us all - a newfound hope seemed to thrive between us all. Of course, we didn't know when we'd be found. But, that wasn't on our mind. 

Now, we were just taking in the beauty of the island, cast in a soft orange glow. Looking around; seeing Bri laid back, Freddie watching in awe and seeing Rog and Sarina curled up together - something told me that it was all going to be okay.


	6. Chapter Six

June 15th, 1985  
12:21  
Freddie's POV 

It felt nice to be outside, doing something normal that I'd probably be doing if I was at home. I didn't know why, but gardening always had a rather relaxing effect on me. Whether it was because of the birds, or the soft sound of the koi pond (of course, that was back at the lodge. The waterfall was my current replacement), it was just such a soothing thing. Jim and I always gardened together when we had time, it was one of our favourite things to do. Albeit, it could get frustrating when we had to bathe a cat afterwards, but it was worth it. I sighed, this was only making me miss Jim even more. 

I set my makeshift trowel down, sitting down with my back against the wall of the house to watch the waterfall. We've had a pretty hectic month, if I were honest. We had a couple of days where John and Bri needed a lot of cheering up, they've both missed one of their kids birthdays. It was hard for them. They were both family-based people and being away from family was hard enough - missing an event like that just broke them. However, we were there for them, cheered them up and spent the day relaxed and telling stories. On a positive note, Sarina was doing a lot better now. The poor dear's hands have finally healed up, she was able to use them. Her legs, however, were still really rather bad - she was still unable to move about without being carried. Roger was doing much better too, his nightmares were now far and few, and he was staying in a room with Sarina now, instead of rotating between us. Apart from a couple days here and there, this month has been pretty good. 

We actually planned to try and teach Sarina how to write, so when we got out of this hellhole she wasn't completely illiterate and felt useless. We had decided to leave reading for another time, as Brian had to actually made something for her to read. I gathered my gardening tools and stood up, taking a last glance at the waterfall before going inside. John and Brian were sat at the table discussing something, whereas Sar and Rog were sat on the couch. Sarina had her legs other Roger's, and had curled her body against him. I smiled at the pair, I knew Roger had a soft spot for the dear - I wouldn't be surprised if they were together by the end of this. 

Setting my tools away in a box, I hoped up on a stool to join Bri and John.  
"Hey, Fred." Brian smiling, looking up and stretching.  
I smiled back. "Hey, guys. What are we doing?"   
"Just going though a plan for today. What'll be better to start with and whatnot."  
I nodded. “Don’t want to go in too fast.”  
“Exactly.” Bri chimed. “Sar?”  
The blonde looked over, a puzzled look on her face. “Yeah?” Her English was so much better now.   
“Do you wanna come over here, love? We wanna teach you something.”  
“Uhm..okay?” Roger picked her up and walked over, setting her on a stool before taking the free one next to her. “So, what are you teaching me?”  
“We wanna teach you how to write. It’ll help you a lot, and I presume you don’t know how to?”  
The blonde furrowed her eyebrows. “What’s...writing..?” Brian took some crappy diy paper we made as Well as one of the pens we found in his backpack, and wrote a small sentence. “Oh...no, I haven’t.”  
“Well then, darling.” I said, casting her a wide smile. “Let us teach you.”

12:47pm

“And Z is just a simple dun, dun, dun. Got it?” It had taken a while, but I finally got to the end of the alphabet.  
Sarina nodded. “Okay..” she lowered her head, focusing as she copied my movement.  
“Perfect!” I exclaimed. “Shall we go onto words?”  
The blonde nodded softly, adjusting her position to be more comfortable.

“Okay.” I started. “Let’s start basic. Hello.” I moved my pen on the paper, forming the word. “Ta-dah. You try.”   
Sarina furrowed her eyebrows, moving the pen across the paper. It was messy, but you could understand what she wrote - a lot of progress since the beginning.  
“Great! Let’s try...goodbye.” I moved the pen once more, writing as clean as I could.   
“Al..right...” She picked the pen back up and put it on the paper, starting to move it. She made constant glances at what I wrote, furrowing her eyebrows and rewriting it multiple times. 

I could see the poor dear’s frustration beginning to build up, and softly put an arm around her to take control of her hand. Keeping my hand loose and steady, I lead the pen to form the word. Afterwards, I sat back in my seat.  
“Try it again, dear.” Sarina nodded, hunching over to try and copy my movements. Again, it took a couple tries but she finally did it.   
“Well done!” I exclaimed, seeing her shyly smile.  
“Thank you..”  
“No worries, lovie. Now, shall we try some other words?”

19:32pm

“Amazing! I think it’s safe to say we can take a break. I looked down at the messy pages on the table, the handwriting going between neat and clean, to messy and large. I couldn’t blame the poor dear, she did amazing!   
A small smile appeared on her face before she yawned. “Thank you.”  
“Let’s get you upstairs, yeah?” The blonde nodded and I stood up, putting my arms carefully around her frail body before standing. Roger had gone upstairs about 30 minutes ago, claiming that he was tired and wanted an early night. 

Taking it slow, I ascended the wooden stairs and into the dark hallway. After blindly walking around for a moment, I managed to find the door and quietly open it. Sure enough, Roger was fast asleep against the wall. Trying and failing to avoid the creaky floorboards, I snuck over to the bed and pulled the covers back. It came to my attention that Sarina had fallen asleep, so it was down to me and me alone. Being slow once more, I lowered the small blonde onto the bed and tucked her in, watching with a smile and Roger pulled her close. I walked back across the room and out into the hallway, hearing the door click shut behind me.   
“I’m gonna go to bed. See you both tomorrow.” I called downstairs, keeping my voice soft.   
“Night!”

I walked over to my room and opened the door with a sigh. Closing the door behind me, I stepped forward and fell face first onto my bed. Exhaustion hit me like a tonne of bricks, I didn’t have time to get comfy before I fell unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so short and shit :(


	7. Seven - pt 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a short one

December 3rd, 1986.   
John’s POV

It’s been over a year since we’ve been stranded on this goddamn island. It’s been nothing but anxiety and repetitiveness. The fact that no one was insane yet, honestly surprised me. There’s only so much tropical island one person can take. We nearly got rescued a few times, but the planes didn’t see us and carried on going. It was more annoying than saddening. Most days were the same. Wake up, eat, collect resources, make sure everything’s working, relax, eat, sleep. For a whole year. To the point where we were practically beginning for a change. But change never came. 

Albeit, we have had some nice conversations in the evenings - but those conversations would be better at home. On the plus side, Sarina could read, write and move now. Not perfectly, of course, but she wasn’t completely illiterate anymore. Roger’s nightmares had gone by now, which was great. We were all skinnier, but we were alive, and the important thing. The worse thing about being stuck here was that I knew that, by now, my baby was a few months old - and I hadn’t met them once. I sighed, resting my head on my hand. All I could do was hope that we got home soon...

But, for now, all we had was each other. Currently, Freddie was upstairs taking a nap. He had been up last night, so he was rather tired. Brian was outside, planning out some massive ‘save us’ sign on the open space; I was indoors with the other two. Everyone had a sad and worried atmosphere around them, concerning the small blonde we had rescued. She was really ill at the moment, constantly drained and tired. She wasn’t really eating and wouldn’t drink often, causing her to get dehydrated and even skinner. We all knew that, if we weren’t found soon; or she didn’t get better soon, that she’d be dead by January... It was an awful thought, especially since we’ve all grown close to her, but it was the truth. Roger never left her side, always keeping her closely incase anything happened. 

I let out a sigh and stood up, walking upstairs. Being quiet, I opened Rog & Sar’s door, walking in and closing it. Roger looked up, giving me a weak smile.  
“Hey.”  
“Hey. How is she?” I sat at the edge of the bed, facing the pair.   
“The same, really. Had a bit to drink but...that’s all really.”  
I nodded. “How’re you doing?”  
A sigh left the drummers lips. “Shit...if I’m honest. Worried and scared..”  
My face saddened. “I know. Hopefully, someone’s see us here and we’ll go home. Sarina can recover then.”  
Roger nodded. “I really hope someone comes before...it’s too late...” He looked down and his voice got higher, telling me that he was upset.   
I reached over and rubbed his back. “It’ll be alright, Rog. She’ll get better.”  
“Promise?” He whispered, not looking at me.  
“Rog...you know I can’t promise that...”  
He nodded, his voice cracking. “I know...” Rog curled his arms around Sarina, pulling her into him and curling up - protecting her, in a sense. I rubbed his back, watching Bri from the window. 

Brian was setting down large Stones - hoping that it will be seen by the next plane and we’ll be rescued. I glanced beside me to see Roger sound asleep, still holding Sar. So, I stood up and decided to leave them be - walking out of the room and into my own. I laid down in bed and sighed, looking up. I wondered about how everyone was at home. How our parents were coping. Our kids. How Ronnie was coping with the baby. I really wished I was there with them. But, there wasn’t anything that I could do. Apart from home, that is. That’s all we really had at the moment - hope. We needed it, with the situation we were in. Fred and Bri were deeply missing their partners. I missed my kids and wife. Roger was homesick and scared and Sarina was gravely ill. 

That had me thinking. If we were rescued soon, when Sar got better, what would we do? I mean, would we look for her parents? Just let her live normally? I had no idea. All I knew is that we’d be there every step to help her rejoin civilisation. I rolled onto my side, staring at the makeshift photo frame. In it, held the picture of me and Ronnie - the one I kept in my pocket. It was all I had at the moment, it was giving me the strength to power on through and fight - and I treasured it. I know that the other three found pictured that they treasured too. Freddie found one of him, Jim and their cats; Brian found one of him and Anita - and Roger found one of him and his mum. Those small photos were powering us on, making us remember what the outcome was when we were rescued. 

I sighed and stared out the window, praying that a plane or something would fly over at any moment. I let myself fall to the call of sleep, hope bubbling in my chest that we’d soon be home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, updates might be a tad slower since schools up again. But, I’ll try my best not to leave it too much. 
> 
> But how did you find this chapter? Do you think they’ll be rescued soon, or will their deepest fears come true?


	8. Seven - Part 2

1 week later  
Brian's POV  
12:52pm

Everyone's spirits had increased, to say the least. The past week has been uplifting, not only has Sar's health increased, but there has been a few planes fly over and around the island. It wouldn't have excited us as much but, they didn't seem to be passenger planes - but small planes and even a coastguard. We were all hoping that we had finally been discovered, and that they were simply assessing our situation and planning a rescue. At this point, we were praying that that were the case. 

However, we still didn't stop and rest. We couldn't just give up on aiding our survival, we had to keep going incase they didn't rescue us, or had to delay on it. Thanks to Sarina's knowledge, we knew that storm season was going to be starting in the next week or so, so there was a sense of urgency to get out. Glancing out of the open window, I watched as Freddie and John gardened - switching between pulling up new fruits and planting new ones. They were laughing and joking - a wonderful sight to see - just seeing them relax and have fun. I smiled, turning my head to look at the other two. Rog had Sarina curled up next to him asleep - although she was mobile now, she was still weak and needed rest - whilst Roger stared out another window, petting the golden on the head.

Which actually reminds me, I did forget another even from a few days back. There was a small plane crash about 1/2 a mile out from our island - so John and I swam out there to see if anyone survived. Sadly, the three people inside died on the impact, but there was a dog inside - it was weak, but it was alive. We brought it back and warmed it up, giving it some food and whatnot to try and soothe it. Luckily, the dog seemed to have no damage - just cold and scared. It was easily distinguishable as a golden retriever - 2, maybe 3, years old - and quickly took a fondness to Rog and Sar. They were more than happy to care for the pup, even allowing the dog on their bed a night. They were considering keeping it after we were free, but only if it had no one else to live with.

I sat back in my chair, hearing John and Fred's laughter erupting from outside - and allowed myself to slip into a somewhat subconscious mindset.

17:35pm  
John's POV

The sun was on the verge of setting, as I lit the fuel to keep the place warm. I lowered myself to the floor, looking to my right - where Roger and Sarina sat - and let out a smile. The dog was laid between them, head resting on Sarina's lap as she softly petted the retriever's head. Fred and Bri were out at the moment, collecting supplies for the coming days - since we were running low. They had been out for about an hour now, but we expected them to be back before the sun had set. 

It was nice to have the soft crackle of the fire to supply some background noise. It was often quiet here at night, apart from a few crickets - which stopped in the early in the morning - and the soft splashing of the waterfall. All the birds, the wildlife - it all completely stopped when the sun fell below the horizon. With no one to sleep next to at night, I had no sound to fall asleep to - and certainly no kids to work me up in the early mornings. That was something that I was truly looking forward to again - something to look forward to again. 

I let out a small sigh, looking back over at the pair beside me - seeing that Sarina seemed asleep and Roger seemed to be zoned out. Carefully reaching out, I pulled up the blanket around Sarina's bare shoulder - doing my best to protect her from the cold air. It seemed strange to say but she seemed almost like a little sister - she was a few years younger than me so it made sense. It was nice, if I'm honest, we did have some nice conversations together, and I've had her confide in me for some of her troubles - it was nice to know that she trusted me for things like that. 

A glance outside alerted me that the sun had long since set - and the other two had still not returned. I furrowed my eyebrows and stood, walking to the back door and looking out - worried about the fact that there was no sign of them. Keeping guard, I stayed at the door - constantly looking out of the door - I hadn't felt Roger's eyes follow me over. Until his soft voice alerted me.   
"What's up?"  
"Oh, nothing. Just waiting for Bri and Fred."  
I could hear Roger shift behind me. "Are they not back?"  
A shaky sigh left my lips. "N-not yet. But they will be soon, don't fret."  
"W-what if they don't come back, Deaks?"   
Turning on my heels, I faced Rog's tired and afraid eyes - my own face softening. "They'll come back, Rog, I promise. If they aren't back in an hour, I'll go looking for them. Okay?"  
"B-but you can't go out alone, it could be dangerous!"   
"Rog." His name came out as a breathy sigh, as I walked over and crouched beside him. "I'll be fine. Plus, you need to stay here and care for Sar - she's still not well."  
"But-"  
"But nothing, Rog. I need you two to stay here, and stay safe. Okay?"  
The blonde sighed and slouched. "Fine. I promise."  
"Thank you." I stood back up and walked over to the door, hoping that the two would return soon.

.

I had been pacing back and forth for as long as I could remember, anxiously biting at my lip and just waiting. And waiting. And waiting. I was growing tired of waiting, just wanting to go out there and find them. Roger was still watching me, cradling both Sarina and the pup in his arms - tiredly cradling them. I had told him time and time again to go to sleep, but he had proclaimed that he wasn't sleeping until the other pair had returned. Turning towards the glass doors, I walked back over and stood there - watching anxiously for at least a glimpse of Freddie and Brian to come back. 

Of course, it wasn't long before I was distracted, tossing some more logs onto the fire. Afterwards, I leaned back and picked up a blanket - putting it around Roger to keep him warm. A thud at the door, followed by them swooshing open, quickly caught my attention and I looked up - meeting Freddie's excited eyes.   
"Where have you guys been?" I stood, walking towards Fred just as Bri appeared. “I've been worried sick, we all ha-"   
My eyes settled on a tall, raven-haired man who I didn't recognise. "Who's this?"

15 minutes earlier  
Freddie's POV 

"I think we should start heading back soon Bri, it's dark." I stood up, facing the tall curly-haired man.   
"Yeah, yeah. Let's just head back now - don't think we can fit anything else in these bags." I let out a small laugh and followed Brian.   
"So." He started, slowing his pace to stay beside me. "How are you doing?"  
I nodded, looking up at him for a second. "I'm great. And yourself?"  
"Fantastic. I'm quite alright, can't wait to get the fuck off of this island."   
I laughed, noting that we were walking towards the mysterious hanger. "Me neither. Wanna get back to the cats - and   
Jim of course."   
We both laughed, surprisingly relaxed. "I know how you feel. Can't wait to see Anita and the kids."  
"Mmhmm I bet you can't. It'll be nice to take a shower again, to have proper food and do things that we haven't done in so long-"  
"Hey, what's that?" I followed Brian's pointing finger, trying to see what he was. 

But then I saw it. A plane. Sitting on the runway with two people stood outside. 

Excitement rushed through me, maybe this was our way out. It was a small jet, not something you'd take on a joy ride - and defiantly not at night.   
"What should we do, Bri?"  
A sigh sounded from the tall man. "I-I don't know, Fred. What do you think we should do?"  
"I think we should go over there, Bri. This might be our only chance for a while." The curly-haired man gave me a weary look. "Bri, we're desperate. Sar's still very sick, and everyone's getting skinner and weaker. What choice do we have?"   
Brian sighed again, looking over at the distant pair. "Fine, fine. C'mon, let's go before they take off."   
Shifting our bags, we began to run towards the two. 

We reached them out a reasonable time, walking into the flood light and panting heavily, allowing our bags to drop to the concrete runway. The two strangers straightened up, rushing over to us and helping us stand.  
"Jesus Christ. These of gotta be the people we're looking for, Chris." From a quick glance, I saw that the person holding me was about Brian’s height with dark hair and bright eyes - I watched as he pick up a water bottle and handed it to me.   
"They have to be. C'mon come sit." The person - presumably Chris, helped us sit down and calm, him and the other man crouching infront of us. 

They gave us a few minutes to calm down, throwing blankets around us to give us some warmth.   
"So," Chris began. "how did you two get here?"  
I opened my mouth to speak, but Brian spoke before. "W-we were on a plane - we got caught in a storm and hit by a bird. Been here ever since."  
The second guy nodded. "Well, today's you're lucky day. We're getting you out of here."  
Bri and I were silent for a moment as the words settling in, before breaking into wide smiles. "You're kidding right?"   
"Nope." Chris laughed. "We're gonna get you two someone safe - somewhere dry before storms set in. Anyone else with you?"  
"Y-yeah." I nodded, sitting up more. "Three more - and a dog."  
"A dog?" The other man questioned.   
Brian nodded. "There was another crash, the dog was onboard. No one else survived."  
Chris nodded, looking out at the forboading sky. "Let's go get the other's yeah? Get you all safe." We both nodded, allowing the strangers to help us up. 

We got our balance and grabbed our bags, walking off towards the house - walking quicker than normal.   
“So, uh, anything we can expect from the other three?” Chris piped up, matching out pace.  
“Uhm... the only thing I can think of is...just, just let us handle the woman- Sarina. She’s not well and she’s very skittish - but she trusts us.” Brian began, moving the bag. “Another reason is Roger. He’s very protective of her and won’t like you guys taking her from him.”  
“Oh.” The second guy mumbled. “Yeah, we’ll leave you guys to deal with her.”  
“Alright.” I chirped, happy to finally get freedom. Hopping on onto the steps, I opened the door facing John.  
The bassist turned, walking over to us. “Where have you guys been?” He exclaimed. “I’ve been worried sick, we all ha-“   
As Chris stepped in, John stopped. “Who’s this?”  
“John.” Brian started, breaking out in a smile. “Meet Chris. He’ll be getting us off of this place.”   
The youngest stopped, and I saw Roger look up. “G-getting us off of here?”  
“Yes.” Chris smiled. “I’m here to get you guys safe before the storms.” 

We ended up speaking for a while - talking about our situation, how we got here, have we’ve done what we done. But, it was finally time to go. Chris and the second guy - whose name we learned was Adam - was currently at the plane. They had taken all our stuff that we wanted to take and told us just to make sure before heading over.   
“Well,” Brian started. “We all ready to go?”  
John nodded, slinging a bag over his shoulder. “I think?”  
“Yup.” I sighed in happiness. “How are we dealing with those two?” Roger and Sarina were sound asleep on the couch, Sarina had gotten a bit worse over the past few hours, and Rog hadn’t left her side.   
“I’ll carry Rog, you carry Sar?” Brian asked, facing me.  
“Sure.” Placing the bag comfortably on my shoulder, standing beside Bri.   
The tall man carefully picked the small drummer up, allowing me to swoop down and scoop Sar up, adjusting her slightly before standing straight. John had walked over and picked the pup up, since we didn’t want to risk him getting lost on the journey there. 

With one last check that everything was with us, we were on our way. 

21:34pm

After a little bit of hassle with getting everyone settled, we were finally in the air. We were free. In a few days, we’ll be home. Finally, we’ll be home. I look out the window and stare at the fading island. In a sense, I’m glad that all that happened. We all became much, much closer whilst on that island - our bond grew tighter and stronger. Not to mention finding Sar. It’s guaranteed that she wouldn’t of made it if we didn’t find her. On the other hand, I was so glad to say a massive fuck off to that place. It was great to be free. 

Looking around the plane, I saw John asleep next to me - laid awkwardly, get very comfy. Brian was across from us, the dog half on his lap - the golden was asleep, whereas Brian was wide awake still. Behind him, Rog and Sar were still curled up together. Roger was awake, staring out of the window with his arms protecting Sarina as she slept. I smiled.

I knew that from here on out things were going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi folks! It’s been a while, I’m very sorry for the wait - I’ve had a lot going on. Anyways, how are you all doing? How did you find this part?


	9. Eight

06:13am  
Freddie's pov

Everyone jolted slightly as the car slowed to a stop, the black suv behind us doing the same. I look out of my window and up at the hotel, letting out a small smile. It felt amazing to be off of that isle - felt amazing knowing that we'd be home within a coupe of days. The people who collected us from Adam and Chris told us that we'd be taken to a hotel - given a few hours to shower and eat ect before we'd be seen by a doctor in our rooms to make sure everyone was okay. Tomorrow morning, we'd be taken to the local private airfield and flown back home to our families - who were in the process of being told that we were all okay. 

Our doors were opened and we were free to step out. Brian, John and I were in one car - the first one - whilst Rog, Sar and the pup were in the second. We all joined together as we were led into the hotel. Each of us were given a key to separate room on the same floor - bar for Rog and Sarina (who, may i add, was sound asleep in Rog's arms) who were on the same floor but were in a shared room that could accompany the dog. We were all much too tired to communicate , wanting nothing but a hot shower and a long sleep in a comfy bed. 

The elevator ride was a short one, slowing to a stop on the tenth floor - before the door swooshed open and we were greeted with the pristine hallway. Brian was first, being shown to room 82 - followed by John in room 83. I was led to room 86, with Rog going to the end of the hall to the big dog friendly rooms. 

The room was large. (A/N all the rooms are the same apart from Rog's.) There were ceiling-to-floor windows with a door in the middle to accompany the door leading to the balcony. In the centre of the room was a comfy-looking double bed - covered in pillows and blankets, as well as a couple of changes of clothes - shut in by two oak nightstands - the left had a simple grey alarm clock on - seeing that it read 7:00 - and the right had a beige phone. I planned to phone home after I had dinner tonight - although my first plans were a sower and nap. Opposite the bed as a tv, the remote underneath and two tall wardrobes either side. Of to the right was a white door, and as I opened it - revealed the light bathroom. There was a joint shower and bath off too the right, with a toilet to the left. On the opposite wall was a porcelain sink with a cabinet onto - which withheld all of the necessary bathroom utensils.

I walked back out and over to the pile of clothes on the bed, pulling out a white robe and a sky blue change of clothes. Switched the bathroom light on - it was reasonably light so i didnt need it for a quick glance. After getting undressed, I turned on the shower - setting it to a warm temperature - before stepping in with a chilled out sigh. 

7:45am  
Roger's pov

Laying my head back, i let a sigh leave my lips - lifting my arm to softly massage to small of Sarina's back. Looking to my left, i saw the damp retriever laying on the bathroom rug, head resting on his paws as he slept. Smiling, i wrapped my arms around the blonde laid against me, placing a soft kiss to the top of her head.  
"Y'know i think we should figure out a name for him, pretty sure he's ours now."   
Sarina hummed, moving her head to bury it in my chest. "We should."  
I shifted softly, hearing the slosh of water as i did. “Any suggestions?”  
She was quiet for a moment, long enough to make me think that she had fallen asleep - that was until she answered. “Nope. You got any?”  
Turning my head towards the golden as I thought, I realised that my brain could only come up with the most common name ever. “Buddy?”  
The golden lifted his head at the sound of the name, cocking his head to the side. Sarina giggled, adjusting slightly.   
“I think he likes it.”  
“You think?” I looked down at Sarina, seeing her nod. Smiling, I turned back to the pup. “Buddy?”   
He cocked his head again, tail beginning to wag. I moved my arm outside of the tub, letting it drip onto the mat as i called the name again. This time, he stood up and walked over, pushing his nose into my head. Sarina let out a tired giggle, rubbing her eyes before laying back against me. My smile widened, petting the pup’s head.   
“Buddy it is then.”

We stayed where we were for about another 5 or so minutes before I decided it was time to get out. Holding Sarina against me, I washed both of us with the shower nozzle before grabbing the warm towel off of the heater. I wrapped the towel around Sar’s small frame before standing. Whistling for Buddy, I flicked the light off and walked into the main room, setting Sar down before grabbing a spare change of clothes for us. Still being rather ill, Sarina was almost asleep again, lazily blinking to try and keep consciousness. I helped her dress, placing a soft kiss to her forehead before laying her under the covers and tucking her in, watching as she slipped into sleep. Standing again, I picked up my own change of clothes and dressed, chuckling upon seeing Buddy’s damp frame watching me. 

Picking up the discarded towel, I sat on the floor and beckoned Buddy over - getting him to sit inbetween my legs so I could dry him. i would of used the hairdryer, but its 7:35 in the morning and I didn’t wanna risk waking Sar back up. Buddy was happily panting, facing my as i dried him off. When we got home, I planned to and buy some stuff for Buddy, to try and make him a callas possible and so that we could take him on walks. After all, I had no idea how he was with other people - or other pets. 

After the pup was basically dry and his golden glow had returned, I hopped up on the bed and called Buddy to join, having him lay inbetween my legs as I flicked on the tv. The room filled with the unfamiliar sound of a show had never seen before - with people I’d never heard of. It was some random mechanic show, so I decided just to watch it. I ended up falling asleep for some time, that was until the phone rang alerting us for breakfast.

19:21pm  
Brian’s pov 

It had been the most chilled out day we’ve had in a while - finally we were warm and, most of all, safe. Currently, everyone was grouped in Rog’s room. John and Fred were sat on the floor with the pup - which Rog announced they had called Buddy -, Rog had just nipped into the bathroom and I was on the bed, holding Sarina. The doctor had come and gone a few hours before. He announced that every one of us was underweight - Sarina and Rog being the two worst ones - and slightly dehydrated, but we all seemed healthy otherwise. He had given Sarina some medicine to try and aid her recovery - but warned Rog to take her to a doctor if she didn’t improve. A vet also stopped by, checking over Buddy for any signs of illness or a microchip. He found neither, and was healthy apart from being a tiny bit underweight. Buddy also received the shots he had missed out on, which he wasnt too happy about - but Rog had been there to keep him calm. 

The bathroom door pende and i took the opportunity to stand up, holding Sarina up so Rog could slide back into his original position. After he did so, I moved over to the wall.  
“I think we’d all best be getting some rest, lovies.” Freddie spoke. “We have a busy day tomorrow.”  
John nodded and stretched. “Probably a long one too.”   
I nodded in agreement, pushing off from the wall. Roger was seeming to debate saying something, allowing the other two to get to the door before speaking up. 

“Wait.” The two turned and I raised an eyebrow.  
“What’s up?” I turned my body, surely he wasn’t worried about sleeping alone?  
The three of us watched as Rog leaned forwards, peaking down at Sarina to make sure she was asleep. “I-I wanna do something when we get back. For Sar.”  
Freddie moved forwards, sitting on the edge of the bed and softly patting Rog’s leg. “And what’s that, darling?”  
“I-I wanna find her parents. Or at least, find out what happened to them. I-I think they deserve to know that she’s okay at the least - and Sar can decide whether to form a bond with them. I-Is that a good idea?”   
John smiled. “Sounds like a lovely idea, Rog. They deserve to know that shes alive and well.”  
Rog smiled, laying down as a tired look overcame him. He looked pale and exhausted. “Will you guys help me?”  
Freddie stood, untucking the other side of the blanket and throwing it over Rog. “Of course we will, darling. Now you just rest, okay?”   
The drummer nodded, taking Sarina into his arms before closing his eyes, quickly falling under the blanket of sleep. Freddie smiled, stepping back and quietly ushering us out and closing the door.

“Poor thing’s exhausted.” I muttered, letting out a concerned sigh. Last thing I wanted was Rog getting sick, we were worried about about Sarina.  
John nodded. “We’ll defiantly have to keep an eye on him when we get back, make sure he doesnt fall sick.”   
“We’ll watch over him, lovies. For now, lets just get a decent sleep, hm?” We all nodded and walked into our separate rooms, shutting our doors behind us. I thought about what to do for a moment, i wasnt too tired. My eyes settled on the phone on the nightstand, and i figured out what time it would be at home. I decided to phone home nonetheless, just to try. 

Sitting on the bed and facing the city view, I dialled my home phone - hoping the number hadn’t changed. It rang once. Twice. And on the third ring it was answered. I stayed silent for a moment to see who answered.  
“Hello?” The sound of Anita’s voice had a smile forming on my face. How I’ve missed her.  
“Hello, love. Missed me?”   
There was a moment of silence - almost like a stunned silence. “B-Brian?”  
I grinned. “The one and only.”  
“Oh my gosh...is it really you?!”   
Letting out a laugh, i laid down. “Yes, yes its really me.”  
“Oh my gosh...its been so long, Bri - we were thinking the worse! What on earth happened?”  
I sighed softly. “Well, get comfy, love. It’s a long story.”

19:47pm   
Freddie’s pov

I picked up the phone for the ninth time in the past 10 minutes - i had no idea why i was so anxious to do this, it wasnt like i hadnt spoken to Jim before. Sighing, i put in the familiar number yet again - this time working up the courage to hit the dial button. I waited anxiously as the phone rung. Ring..after ring...after ring. Before finally someone picked up the other end.  
The familiar Irish accent had me falling against te pillows. “Hello? Jim speaking.”  
“Well ive missed that voice?” I laughed softly, feeling myself relax,  
He was silent for a moment. “F-Fred?”  
“Who else would it be, dear? The Queen?”  
He let out a laugh. “Yeah, its you alright. H-how are you?  
I smiled. “Well, I’m rather fine, dear. Especially getting off that godawful place.”  
I could almost hear the smile in his voice. “W-well how are you? When are you coming home?”  
“I’m fine, lovie. Just need a bit more meat on my bones. And we’re coming home tomorrow. Our plane leaves at 3.”  
“In the morning?”  
Sighing, i laid more relaxed against the pillows. “Yep. A small price to pay to see everyone again.”  
“A small price to pay to have you back again.” I beamed, laying on my side. “So...how did that all happen?”  
Laughing, i shook my head. “I’d sit down, dear, its a long story.”

19:51pm  
John’s pov

“6...4...3..9...” Pressing dial, i sat back against the headboard, hoping someone would answer. The phone rang exactly five times before it was picked up.  
As Veronica’s voice filtered through the speaker, I couldnt stop the wide smile forming on my face. “Hello?”  
“Well, hi. Long time no see, how are you?”  
There was a silence for a moment. “J-John? It’s that you?”  
My smile widened. “Yes, its me.”  
There was a soft laugh on the other end of the line - one of almost disbelief. “I-I can’t believe it! A-are you okay, are you safe?”  
“Yeah, I’m alright, and I’m safe. And how are you?”  
“Well, I’m great now. They said that you’re coming home soon - I-I didnt expect a call.”  
I smiled and nodded. “The plane leaves tomorrow - and plus, the phone was there, it was too temping.”  
“I’m glad you called. It’s nice to hear your voice again.”  
Laying more comfortably, I adjusted the phone. “And I’m glad to hear yours. How are the kids?”  
I heard a soft laugh from the other end. “Oh, y’know, still little rascals. Missing their dad. They are very interested by the baby.”  
Realisation hit me that our baby would be here by now. “H-how did it go? With the baby? Im sorry i wasn’t there.”  
“Don’t be sorry, John, you couldn’t help it. And the baby’s fine, it all went great. He’s happy, healthy and ready to meet his dad.”  
My smile widened even more. “You had a boy?”  
“Mmhmm. Named him Joshua. I hope you like it.”  
Beaming, I nodded. “It sounds perfect.”  
“I’m glad you like it.” We sat in a comfortable silence for a couple minutes before Ronnie spoke up again. “John?”  
“Yeah, love?”  
“What..happened out there? How did it happen - how did you survive?”  
“Well,” I chuckled, laying down. “It’s a long story...”

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: so, uhm, what did you guys think? It generally seems rushed and badly written, so I'm not that keen on it. Hopefully, the next chapters won't be the same. As normal, feedback is appreciated and feel free to ask any questions!
> 
> Ta-ta for now, my fruuitcakes <3


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